Snap Out of it, Swan
by Deeply Regal
Summary: Post re-curse. Follows 3x11 and beyond. Emma and Henry live with no memory of their past lives. A few visits from strangers and a trip to the enchanted forest later, Emma will be thrown into battle, while trying to get her memories and family back. Eventual SwanQueen. M for quite a bit of language and sexual situations at some point. Reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

1.

A sound echoes in the darkness pulling Emma from her restless sleep, the smell of crisp apples lingers in her thoughts. Sitting up straight, letting her blanket fall around her waist, she strains her ears against the silence. The sound of feet dragging the carpet outside her bedroom door jolts her to her feet. Heart pounding in her chest, she fumbles silently with putting her pants on. She quickly makes her way to the door. Slowly she turns the knob. Green eyes, her eyes, look up at her in shock when she swings the door open.

"God, Henry what are you doing?!" she pants searching the boy's face.

"Oh, Mom." He half giggles after jumping back a few paces. "I was thirsty." A sideways grin crept on his face, as he lifts the glass of liquid to her face as evidence.

"Kid, it's like three in the morning. You scared the shit outta me."

"Sorry." He said smiling up at her. "I live here too ya know." He said with a matter of factly tone as he shuffled down the hallway to his door. He shot her one final smile before disappearing into his room.

Emma, heart still pounding, threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Good night Mom, I love you!" she shouted down the hall at him. A faint 'Love you' crept through the walls as she shut her door and made her way back to bed.

_That kid, he's got an attitude on him. _She thought to herself shaking her head. _He didn't get that from me._ Picking her blanket off the foot of the bed, she slid underneath it and settled back onto the giant pillow that lives beneath the headboard. With an over-exaggerated sigh she closed her eyes. In no time at all, she was back to sleep.

Panic ran through her body as a woman fell to the ground in front of her, a purple light shot from the falling brunette's chest. Emma calls out but there is no sound. Her eyes grow wide as she tries again, calling out to the woman. Nothing. Strangers circle around them, as Emma stoops down next to the unconscious woman. Henry, at her left, franticly shakes the woman, horror taking control of his features as he looks up at the blonde. All Emma can hear is white noise, static, it is deafeningly loud in her ears. Closing her eyes she tries to regain her focus. Suddenly, the roar is gone and the woman under her shoots up, grabbing the blonde's hand.

"Emma."

The woman's dark eyes fixed on Emma's. A burning sensation spread from Emma's chest and engulfed her body. She couldn't breathe. Holding onto the stranger, she steadied herself as the roar in her head began once more. Head spinning, the blonde closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was staring at the darkness that was her bedroom. A single tear ran down her face as she turned to see the time. Once she realized that she had only been out for a little over an hour she took a deep breath and took again to staring into the darkness.

_Who is she? For as long as I can remember, it's been the same dream, the same woman. _Pulling her blanket back up to her chin, she sighed once more and closed her eyes. Her mind was reeling. All she could see behind her eyelids was the woman's face. She thought hard about the woman's dark caramel eyes, her look of desperation and regret as the woman held tight to Emma's hand. Her mind drifted to the woman's deep red lips as she spoke. In realization, Emma's eyes shot wide open.

"She said my name." she whispered into the darkness. The burning feeling in her chest began again but slowly turned to a tingle as it spread. _After all this time, I finally heard her._ Hot tears filled her eyes as her thoughts drifted back to her dream. She let them spill onto her pillow as she wept silently, not understanding why she was so emotional. She closed her eyes tight, in an effort to halt her crying and then slowly drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

"Mom, are you up yet?" Henry squeaked as he slipped into her room.

"mhmm." Was all she could muster as she fought sleep to open her eyes.

"It's nine." He said as he lay down next to her and slung his arm over her waist in a hug.

Taking in the way she jerked at the sudden contact, Henry searched her face. Her features were swollen and her eyes were puffy. "You look like crap, Mom, are you okay?" he said slightly shaking her as she made no reply.

When she opened her eyes at him, he took in a sharp breath. Her eyes were bright green and her pupils were dilated. This shocked him a bit and instantly his thoughts were of a cat that that he has seen after she narrowly avoided death by motor vehicle. "Your eyes are super green right now. Like… I have never seen them so green."

"Whatever you say kid." She smiled down at him.

"What do you want for breakfast? Since obviously you are sick of something, I will cook. My treat."

"Cute. I'm not sick Hen…"

"Oatmeal and coffee it is then." He sang at her as he rolled off the bed. "Stay in here, I don't want your germs!" he called as he bolted out of the room, leaving the door cracked a little.

"Hey kid, you're the coolest."

"I know!"

Lying back down, Emma let her mind run laps. She could smell the coffee brewing in the kitchen and it brought her lips into a small smile. _I sure am lucky,_ she thought. She let herself drift back to sleep, knowing Henry would be a little while with her breakfast. In no time at all, she was fast asleep. There was nothing in her mind, just the black of dreamlessness.

Darting around in the kitchen Henry had the coffee poured in a tall mug and the oatmeal on the stove. He danced around to a random beat in his head. A song, a flute solo that was shortly joined by a soft beat from primitive drums. He couldn't place the song but he continued to bounce around while he waited. It wasn't his first time, in fact it had become a kind of ritual for him. Every morning he awakened with the tune in his head and he was perfectly content with it. It kept his spirit up, he noticed. After a final stir, he decided that the oats were done. Adding a splash of maple syrup and a pinch of brown sugar, he then ladled the goop into two bowls. He danced over to a drawer next to the door and withdrew two spoons, he swung one around wildly in front of himself and mimicked the sounds of a dual, of metal on metal, as he made his way back to his creation. Jabbing the spoons down into the bowls, he one in his hand and grabbed for the mug as he tip toed back to Emma's room. He noticed right away that she was asleep again. Setting his gifts down on a bedside table, he sat down next to his mom. "mom" he whispered, wiping long strands of blonde waves off of her face.

As she was coming out of her sleep, Emma caught whiff of the same crisp apple scent from the night before. Her heart beat quickened as she heard her name being called. _It's her._ She slowly opened her eyes and was met with the same dark brown as in her dream. She tried to sit up but a gentle hand pushed her back against the pillow. The woman looked down at Emma and smiled. Running her fingers through the blonde's hair, the woman leaned down and rested her face against Emma's cheek.

"Soon Emma." She whispered, her lips grazing the blonde's ear.

In shock, Emma began blinking away the image of the woman before her. The smell lingered for a moment and dissolved into what was unmistakably the smell of coffee near her face. In the woman's place, Henry sat, staring at her with confusion written all over his features. "You fell back asleep. Are you sure you're okay?"

With a nod, Emma sat up and grabbed her coffee, taking a big swig into her mouth, she almost choked as a knock came hard on the front door. She got up and walked into the living room, Henry fresh on her heels.

"Stay." She mumbled and pointed to the couch.

He slumped down onto the cushion as commanded and Emma made her way through the kitchen and to the door. Without really thinking, she threw the door wide open. She jumped a little at what she saw. There stood a rather haggard looking man, no older than she was. His dark hair fell messily across his forehead and he had a look that said 'I haven't showered or shaved in weeks'. He was in a black leather coat, and he was beaming at her like he found his best friend.

"Can I help you?"

"Ello Luv." The man darted forward and took her head in his hand, pulling her into a simple kiss. Instinctively, she threw a stiff knee into the man and slammed the door shut, locking the dead bolt. Swinging around to rest her back against the door, she was met with shocked green eyes glaring at her.

"uh… what was that?"

"I have no idea, Henry. I thought I told you to stay in there." She pointed to the living room door.

"Wha?! And miss that craziness? Please. No way." He laughed at her.

"Miss Swan, please." The man called through the door. "I must speak with you, your family is in danger and they need your help!"

With a rather dumbfounded look on her face she called back to him, while looking down at Henry "My family is here with me. There is no one else, man. Get lost before I call the police."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow Guys, thanks for all the follows, reviews and such. While writing this chapter, Passenger's Let Her Go came on the radio and it just seemed too right to ignore. I am no longer nervous about this story, I am super excited though. Expect more chapters to come quickly. Also, if you want to throw in some ideas for the next people to contact Emma or the situation surrounding their meeting... feel free to stick it in a review. Obviously, characters and music lyrics aren't mine but the mistakes are. Happy reading! -DR**

2.

Deciding that she really didn't feel well, Emma took a personal day. _I__t is a Saturday, after all._ She and Henry planned on staying inside for the day, hoping to avoid the stranger from their morning. While Henry plopped down on the sofa, Emma made a hot cup of coffee in the kitchen. While she waited for the liquid to drop into her mug she let the sound of the brew sooth her worried mind. Leaning back on the counter top she drifted off. She found herself staring at a giant green cloud that was barreling towards her, rain drops falling softly on her face. Looking ahead, she saw Henry in an embrace with the woman from her dream. He then darted to Emma as the woman walked to meet her, her dark red lips parted to speak. Emma, staring directly at the woman's mouth, was mesmerized. Her pulse quickened and the burn began. The brunette was inches from Emma's face and was still coming closer. The blonde didn't know whether to stand her ground or fall back. Strangely enough for her, she didn't feel threatened by the woman invading her space but she instead felt a pain in her heart, a foreshadowing sadness.

"Hey mom, what do you want to watch?" His voice echoed in Emma's ears, tearing her back to reality.

"Whatever you want, Kid. What are you in the mood for?" she closed her eyes trying to find the woman's face again.

"Umm…" she could hear him digging through the DVDs that hid in a drawer under the television. "Well, we haven't opened Snow _White and the Seven Dwarfs _yet but we have _Mulan_ too."

She fixed her coffee and joined him in the search for a film. "_Mulan_ was always my favorite. Come to think of it though, I don't think I have ever seen the other one, Snow White, you said?"

"Yup. It's like, about a super naive girl who lives with some short dudes to hide from her stepmother, the Evil Queen. Something about being more beautiful than the Queen and there is a poison apple and true love's kiss." He replied in one breath. "Or so I have been told." He looked down as his cheeks turning a little pink.

"Sounds like a bad por… never mind."

"Oh, oh and Snow White…" he dropped his voice into a slick, deep hum. "Is the fairest of them all."

"Alright then, bring it on." She laughed at him as he bounced around, disk in hand.

At the start of the film, Emma instantly felt strange, like she had seen it before, the castle, the land. At the appearance of the Evil Queen, Emma chewed her lip a bit. _That is a very interesting headdress. Whoa. That lipstick._ Closing her eyes, she could see the woman's face again. Shaking it off, she opted to sit silently by herself on the sofa for the rest of the flick, turning over this sudden interest in lipstick. She only broke her silence to release a short gasp as Snow White ate the apple. Emma felt a pain in her stomach, as she watched on. By the end, she was half crying and Henry was lying lazily across the love seat, not seeming too phased by anything he saw.

"That was intense." She said, wiping the tears from her face.

"Eh. I feel for the Queen. She just needs some love." She looked over at his mom, half smiling.

"Maybe she has some Mommy issues or something... but I tell you what, that prince didn't seem to have a brain in his skull. If I were that chick, I'd have told him to put me back under." They both chuckled a bit at that and moved on to the next movie. As Henry popped _Mulan_ in the player, Emma's heart jumped a little. She always felt a strong connection with the lead character. It was like they had been friends, comrades or something. Not fifteen minutes in to the movie, Emma was singing and wiggling around on the couch in a half dancing kind of way.

"I think Mulan is a mo. What do you think?" he turned to face her.

"A… what?" she gaped at him.

"A mo, Mom, ya know, _ho-_mo."

She blinked at him with a grin on her face. "Where do you come up with this stuff, kid?"

"I'm brilliant like that. But, for real though, what do you think?"

"She could be. Who am I to say? I'm not judging."

"It's a cartoon… you aren't going to hurt her feelings."

"That's not even the point, Henry." Taking her words as a warning, he settled back onto his cushion and turned his attention back to the film. _I wonder what's got in to her. _

The movie was running the end credits when Emma stood up and spread her arms into a large stretch. Looking down at Henry, she found that he looked half asleep. He blinked long, slow paces as he waited for her to say something.

"Wanna go out for dinner?" She asked, running her fingers through her now messy hair.

"What about Captain Creeper? He could be waiting around somewhere."

"True facts." She stumbled around the couch and in to the kitchen. After pouring herself a new cup of coffee she grabbed the phone off the counter. "We will order out then, your move." She tossed the device to Henry and did a turnabout on her heel. Heading back to the kitchen, something red on the kitchen table caught her eye. _What a weird place to leave an apple. _She stared at it for a moment. It was perched on top of a stack of Emma's books on the far edge of the table. The apple itself looked so perfect. Too perfect.

"Hey Henry, did you leave this apple here?" she called over her shoulder when she could tell he was off the phone.

"Umm, not that I know of. This week was grape week, we haven't had apples around in a while." He said making his way to his mom's side.

"Oh yea, last week we did oranges, and kiwi before that , so that means it's been what…at least three weeks?" She stared on.

"That should probably be rotting by now. Also, I ordered pizza and it should be here in like forty-five."

_Strange. _She thought, pretty sure that it had not been on the table this morning. "Cool, cool. While we are waiting, hit the shower, kid. I'll get it when it's here." She put her hand around his shoulder and then softly nudged him down the hall.

When she saw that the boy was headed to the bath, she took up a place on the couch. Grabbing a remote control she punched a few buttons. Only when the sound of a soft, pinging guitar filled the air did she lay back. A man began to sing and the nasally, half shaking voice filled her ears. _What a unique voice, I bet this duder is British._ She closed her eyes and let the words sink in. She only caught a few lines, being distracted by the man's pronunciation, off and on. She sat up and grabbed the remote, hitting the back button a few times.

**_Staring at the bottom of your glass, hoping one day you'll make a dream last. But dreams come so slow and they go so fast. You see her when you close your eyes, maybe one day you'll understand why…_**

She stared at the speakers, not really believing what she was hearing. For a second she zoned out, seeing the woman's face. Again, the words pulled at her heart.

**_But you only need the light when it's burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow, Only know you love her when you let her go._**

She closed her eyes and fell back onto the softness behind her. She couldn't stop herself as the words swirled wildly in her head. The tears fell slowly at first and the lump in her throat was painful. She swallowed and let the music take her.

**_Staring at the ceiling in the dark, same old empty feeling in your heart, 'cause love comes slow and it goes so fast._**

Her tears fell faster as the gentle panging of the instruments settled. She held her breath as the voice returned.

**_Well you see her when you fall asleep, but never to touch and never to keep, 'cause you loved her too much and you dived in too deep._**

As the words softened into the rhythmic pinging again, she practically threw herself off the couch and onto the stereo. Shutting off the sound, she wiped her face and shook her head violently.

"Hard pass on that one. I'm not even…" She turned around and jumped back, hand clenching at her chest.

Leaning against the wall at the mouth of the hallway stood the woman. She had the most genuine smile that the blonde had ever seen. Emma scanned the woman, taking in her slightly wavy hair, hanging to her shoulders and the fact that the woman was almost completely swallowed by her knee length, charcoal coat. Emma brought her eyes up slowly, noticing how perfect the slightly older woman's features were and that lipstick.

"Oh, God." Emma gasped, not meaning to actually speak. She felt like her stomach was crawling up her throat, the burning was almost painful. The woman smiled, almost wildly, as she slowly shook her head at her blonde counterpart. Her deep eyes were fixed on Emma's as she slowly began to close the gap between them.

"Who…" Emma started, not knowing what to do. She could hear the tap of the walking woman's heels and she looked down, instinctively taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as the woman put a gloved hand to Emma's chin.

"Emma" the woman whispered, rubbing her thumb just below the blonde's lip.

Emma inhaled sharply as butterflies erupted in her gut. She continued to stare down, half afraid to meet the woman's gaze. Emma wanted so badly to embrace the woman, to hold her and not let go. Her hand rose slowly to meet the hand that dangled at the other woman's side. She could feel the heat creeping from the brunette in rhythmic waves. Emma held her breath, waiting for the moment of impact.

"Mom? Is the pizza here?" Henry padded down the hall, hair wet and torso naked.

Emma jumped, pulling her hand back as she looked up. The woman was gone. She felt the burning dissipate almost instantly. She then had the sudden urge to cry and fall to the floor. Controlling herself she ran her fingertips over the place where the brunette's hand had just been. She looked down at Henry with a fake smile.

"Um, nope. Not yet."

"Who were you talking to?" he asked looking around .

Emma looked to the place where the woman once stood and sighed quietly. "No one."

"Alrighty then." He looked around once again, not convinced that they were alone. Once he saw that there was in fact no one, he walked back to his room.

Emma stood where he left her, staring at the gap between the walls. _I am going crazy, I am literally going fucking crazy._ Shaking her head she took a step forward, heading to the kitchen. As soon as she left her previous spot, the mysterious woman's smile flashed in her mind. Emma groaned loudly and walked on. _This is some bull shit, I dream about her and now I'm hallucinating. At least she is attractive, I guess._

A knock on the door drew Emma from the kitchen before she had remembered what she was doing there in the first place. She opened the door and peered down at the curly head of a young blonde woman in a tattered green dress and green tights. Holding back a chuckle Emma spoke.

"What are you doing?"

The woman startled, embarrassed at being caught examining the pizza she had in her hands. She looked up with a toothy grin and pink cheeks. Emma smiled back, amused and a bit confused.

"I uh…" she started. Looking down at the pie in her hands and back up at Emma, the woman took a step forward. Emma stepped aside and let the woman into her home. _That's a weird getup for a pizza delivery chick. _She thought.

"Since when do delivery people come inside a house?" Emma asked, not taking her eyes off the obviously uncomfortable woman.

"I uh, I'm not here to deliver this… I mean, you can have it, it's paid for, I took it from the driver before coming up." She looked at the rapidly falling features of the tall blonde standing next to her.

"Excuse me?!" Emma took a step back.

"Emma please, Killian said you wouldn't speak to him." She reached a hand out to Emma who looked as if she were going to be sick. "I know you don't remember but Emma we need you."

"No! No, no, no." Emma stammered and she pulled away from the woman. "I don't know who you are or how you know my name but you need to leave." Swinging around, Emma grabbed the phone off the counter and began to dial.

"Emma, don't. Please, let me explain."

Slowly, Emma let her arm fall stiffly to her side. "What? What do you want? Who are you?!" She popped off quickly, anger rising in her chest as her breath became deep.

"My name is Tink, the faeries call me Green but you, you called me Tink. We were friends once but you don't remember. There was a curse…" her voice trailed off as she saw the boy coming up behind his mom.

"Hi, who is this, mom? Oh yea, the pizza is here!" he grabbed for the box that was still in Tink's hands.

"Henry, oh you have grown so much." She smiled at him. Emma was glaring hard at her but she did not say a word.

"Do I know you?" he looked puzzled, racking his brain for any memory of the woman.

"Yes, you did once, as I was telling your mother, there was a curse…"

"Alright lady, we are done here." Emma said firmly as she grabbed Tink by the arm and pulled her into the hallway outside her home. "Henry, give us a moment." She called in as she slammed the door behind them.

"Emma, let me finish" she pleaded.

"No, you come into my house, talking like a crazy person." She shook her head. "I don't know you and I'll be damned if I let you spout your shit in front of my kid." Emma tightened her grip on Tink's arm and pushed her against the wall behind them. "I don't know who you are or how you think you know me and I really don't know how you know Henry but I suggest you go back to this Killian and you tell him this for me…" Emma's face was inches from Tink's as her voice fell to a growling whisper. "If you or your friend show up around me or my kid again, I will skip the police and hunt you down myself." Her eyes burned with a protective anger as she watched the woman in front of her practically shrink at her words.

"Do you understand me?!"

Tink made no sound, she stared at the hand that was digging into her arm. Emma then shook her and grabbed her other arm forcing Tink to look her in the face.

"Hey, Lady! You get me?!"

Tink looked disappointingly into Emma's eyes and nodded. When released, Tink started to walk away. Emma stared a whole in her back, not wanting to move until the woman was gone. Turning back with tears in her eyes, she made one final attempt.

"Snow sent us Emma, your kingdom is in trouble. People are dying Emma, we need you." She cried in despair.

That was the last strike. Emma stormed after the woman, hands in the air. Tink was only a few paces in front of her and she knew trouble when she saw it. Rounding the corner into the next hall, she disappeared. Emma stood dumbstruck, looking all around her for the woman. Slowly, Emma made her way back to her door, still looking for her.

Opening the door, she found Henry perched on a stool staring at her, pizza shoved in his mouth.

"So, who was that?" he mumbled, mouth full of food.

Panting as her rage began to fall, she looked back at her brown haired son with a blank look on her face. Shaking her head she walked past him and into the living room. She threw herself onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands. She wanted to scream. She was so confused.

"Hellooo?"

"I don't know, Henry. She said her name was Tink." Her words muffled by her hands.

"Like… Tinker Bell?"

With a deep breath, Emma explained step by step what had happened between her and Tink. Henry stood wide eyed, staring at the back of his mother's head as she went on and on without removing her hands from her face.

"Tinker Bell was sent here by Killian… as in, Killian Jones?" he took a deep breath "As in Captain Hook?" Wide eyed, he shifted from foot to foot, trying to grasp what was happening. "Did she actually say faeries call her Green?"

"Yea, like I said, people are being crazy right now." She laughed as she stood up. She was terrified but she wouldn't let him know that.

"But you said she disappeared, like magic." He walked over to her and stared her in the eyes. "Mom, what if she was really Tinker Bell?"

"Oh yea Henry and I was kissed by Captain Hook, come on now." She laughed even harder now. She sounded a bit crazed. Taking a deep breath, she put on her serious face. "Hook is a villain, right? He would never come to see me, let alone kiss me and let's not forget…" she leaned down to Henry's face and whispered in his ear "He doesn't exist."

Leaving her son standing in the living room, Emma walked the distance to her room. _Twice in one day, keeping life exciting aren't we._


	3. Chapter 3

**On we go, peeps! I have a feeling, this whole story is going to be pretty long. But, stick with me and I promise, it will be a fun ride. Let me know what you're thinking so far! -DR**

**3.**

Thick green smoke swirls over the trees on the horizon, slowly devouring everything in sight. The woman in grey speaks with no sound. Her features are that of a worried, caring friend. Her eyes filled with love and sadness, her eyebrows pulled in tight, lines of angst cut into her forehead. Reaching out, tears fall from her brown eyes.

The sweat beading on Emma's face glistened in the morning light. Her breath was hot, feverish and she panted heavily in her sleep. Slowly she came to. Opening her eyes, she felt a pain in her heart but at the same time, there was a flash of excitement still lingering from seeing the woman again, trying to communicate with her.

"Finally, a new dream. Not a great one but, I'll take it." She wiped the sleep from her eyes and made her way from the bed to the bath room.

"Hey mom, are you going in to work today?" Henry's cracking voice carried through from the opposite side of the door.

Running her hands through her hair, staring at the bags under her eyes in the mirror she groaned back to him. "Yea. I have too much work to do to skip out again. What are you doing today?"

"My best guess? I'll be sitting on the loveseat all day, all by my lonely, watching corny movies from everyone else's childhood." He laughed.

Opening the door, Emma threw a sleepy glare at her boy, who carried the unmistakable look of mischief in the making, on his face. He gave her a smile as he leans against the doorjamb, causing Emma to lift an eyebrow in his direction.

"Henry, what are you really going to be doing?"

"Seriously, I'll be watching movies." He looked up at her, trying to seem offended.

Emma mustered her best stink-eye and stared the boy in the face. "I don't know what you're up to kid, but I'm telling you right now, if you so much as open the front door I will know and I will chain you to this sink."

"Mom, chill. I won't open the door. Promise." He looked half amused. "I wouldn't want to get mouth raped by a Disney villain now would I?"

At that, Emma let her serious face go and chuckled. As she walked past Henry she pulled him into a long hug and stroked his hair. "With the weird shit going on right now, I don't want you to risk it in the name of one of your adventures."

"I know, I get it. I will be right here, all day."

She let him go and went back to her room. She slid hangers full of clothes across the rod in her closet, looking for a particular item. Running her fingers along the row, she finds it, a long sleeved, dark grey-blue, silk dress shirt with black buttons. She held the shirt up to her face and touched it against her cheek. There is a faint hint of apples in the air and the second it finds its way into Emma's senses, she swings around. Her pulse quickened as her eyes scanned the room. The smell meant the woman from her dream was near but as far as Emma could tell, she wasn't there. After she saw that there was no one around, Emma lifted her shirt above her head, exposing her pale, toned body. She let the shirt fall to the floor as she reached for the one she dug from the closet. She slid her arms into the sleeves and threw the collar up around the back of her neck, letting the front lay open against her skin. She shimmied out of her pajama bottoms and pulled a pair of black jeans up her legs and around her hips. The pants clung tightly to her body and that was the way she liked it. She sat on the bed and shoved one foot into a knee high boot and pulled the leather until it was smooth against her leg. He did the same with the other and quickly made her way to the mirror that hid on her closet door. Examining herself, she began fastening the buttons of her shirt, from the bottom. As she made her way up, closing her eyes, enjoying the fabric on her skin. There was something about that shirt that just felt right. She had two more buttons to go before she was covered.

"Still enjoying my shirt, I see." The voice was close to her ear and she jumped, spinning around to examine an empty room. The voice she heard was unmistakably the woman from her dreams.

"Damn it, man." She breathed almost choking on her own words. "I really am losing my mind." She whispered to her refection as she did up the final buttons, ignoring the bums that had spread all over her body.

"Where you at, kid?" she called as she made her way down the hallway.

Henry scooted his notebook under the couch as Emma entered the room. She gave him a quick glance before rounding the corner into the kitchen. "Do you need me to bring you anything from the store before I head in?" she called.

"No? What could I possibly need?"

"Well, I don't know. Pop, snacks? Cigarettes? You're at that experimental age, are you smoking yet?"

"No, mother, I am not smoking." He rolled his eyes dramatically at her and stood to follow her to the kitchen. "I really hate when you yell across the house."

"You'll be okay. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"Yes, mom, I'm sure."

"Alright, I will be home at the usual time. What do you want for dinner?"

"Lasagna." He told her, in an exciting tone.

"Can do. I love you. See you in a bit." She kissed his head and headed out the door.

"I love you too, Mom." He beamed at her until she was completely out into the hallway, door closing behind her.

He ran through the kitchen and hopped over the back of the loveseat, landing square in the middle of the cushions. He stuck his hand under him and withdrew a notebook with a pen sticking out of the binding. He flipped through the pages of doodles until he landed on a page with the words "Real life, fairytales" scribbled across the top. Under this heading he wrote thorough descriptions of both Hook and Tink. There was also a decent list of potential places to find said people, sprawled across the page. He then jotted everything he could remember Emma saying about her interaction with the woman. The name "Snow" was written in big letters by itself. Next to it in parenthesis read "Snow White?" He threw the book down and darted to his bedroom, grabbing his book-bag and bounced back to his previous spot. He shoved the book into a pocket in his bag and made his way to the kitchen. He filled a plastic, lidded cup with cold coffee from the pot and he threw a baggy of grapes and a packet of peanut butter filled crackers into his bag. Stealthily, he crept over to the widow in the living room and peered down onto Emma's parking spot. The yellow bug was gone and that made Henry smile wide. He then made his way to Emma's bedroom, bag and cup in hand. He opened the window by her bed. It led out onto the fire escape.

"I promised not to open the door, mom." He whispered to the walls of her room before disappearing out the window. Within no time, his feet were solid on the sidewalk. Peaking around the corner of the building, he saw there was no one coming and then bolted down the alley way, towards the first area on his list, The Marina.

Emma sat slumped over her desk, making busy work of the stack of papers and files in front of her. Highlighter in one hand and black pen in the other, she flipped through a sea of never ending papers. She did all the paperwork for the local police department, which was her job. She liked to refer to herself as the _secretary deputy_. It seemed like no one really knew what was going on in the department except for her. She set up meetings with higher-ups, she took notes from walk-ins and phone calls from people who called the station and reported back to the sheriff.

Lost in her work, she could focus. There was no one else in the office, everyone was on patrol for the day. There were no interruptions for hours as she scribbled down names to be put into data logs and highlighted key notes in the files. She closed a tan folder and was in the process of reaching for the next when the familiar chime of the front door caught her attention. She looked up to see a young woman of seemingly Asian descent, dressed in what appeared to be a leather war-suit, walking her way. Crossing her hands on her desk, she greeted the woman with a smile.

"Can I help you with something, miss?"

"Yes, Emma, I believe you can."

_Not again_. She thought to herself, panic spreading across her face as she tried to rationalize how this woman knew her name. Looking down, she remembered that her name was scrolled on the plaque sitting at the edge of her desk. _Ah. Yea, I have a name tag, way to go. _She looked back up at the woman and gave her a quick smile.

"What can I do for you?"

"I need your help. _We _need your help." The woman laid her hands palms down on Emma's desk and leaned forward.

"Okay, can I have your name please?" The blonde asked as she drew out her note pad from a desk drawer.

" Mulan." The woman said firmly.

Emma's eyes shot up to meet her focused brown ones. "You have got to be kidding me." She said in a squeak. She could feel the aggravation building in her chest as the other woman kept her composure and nodded at the blonde silently. In an attempt to keep her cool, Emma pushed forward.

"Alright then, Mulan. What can I help you with this fine morning?" She said in pure sarcasm, grabbing her pen from next to the file she had recently closed and scribbling down the woman's name at the top of her pad.

"There is a problem in the Enchanted Forest…" she started, waiting for a reply from the blonde. When she didn't get one, Mulan pressed on. "Charming has been taken prisoner and Snow is doing all she can to keep her army together." She halted her words and started down at the blonde who was actively taking notes.

Emma looked up at Mulan but said nothing. _I'm going to get to the bottom of this freak show._ She thought as she nodded at the dark haired woman to continue.

"An Evil Queen has taken over the Kingdom…"

"Wait, wait, _The _Evil Queen?" she put on her best concerned face as she met Mulan's eyes.

"No, Regina is on our side. She is fighting alongside Snow to regain the Kingdom."

Emma felt a familiar burning sensation at the mention of the Queen's name. _Regina, where do I know that name? It wasn't in the movie, was it?_ Closing her eyes for a second, she regained focus as she turned back to her notes.

"This Evil Queen is from a different land. The curse that tore through Storybrooke opened a portal, with a tornado, the day everyone returned to the Forrest." She continued.

"A tornado, you say? What does this Queen look like?"

"She isn't really a queen, Emma. She is a witch…"

At that, Emma looked up again, trying to hide her annoyance-turned-amusement.

Mulan took a deep breath and held a serious face as she stared into Emma's green eyes. "A Wicked Witch, Emma."

The blonde turned her face back to her notes, writing every word. She coughed down the giggle that bubbled from her mouth at the mention of a wicked witch. _Lord have mercy this woman is crazy. Wicked witches and tornadoes… Don't you say it, Emma Swan, don't you do it._

"Did this tornado come with a Dorothy, who swears that she isn't in Kansas anymore?" She couldn't help herself. _Damn it, Swan._

"No, Dorothy is still trapped in Oz." Mulan replied quickly and without falter.

That was it, Emma cracked. She doubled over on to her desk laughing like a loon. "Come on Lady, you really think Dorothy is _trapped_ in Oz?"

"Emma, this is no laughing matter." She stared down her nose at the blonde with a pained and angered look on her face. "People are dying!" her voice rose.

Emma smashed her lips together in an attempt to not further anger the obviously mentally ill woman in front of her. "I'm sorry, Mulan. Please continue."

"They took Aurora." She whispered, fighting back tears.

"Aurora?" Emma looked up, puzzled. Then it hit her. "Sleeping Beauty?!"

Mulan just nodded in silence, her face hard and her body tense.

"And I'm afraid they may have murdered dear, Phillip." She added.

_So there is a big ole' Disney party going on somewhere… how lovely._ Emma again, looked to her notes to hide her amusement. "Charming, Sleeping… ahem… Aurora, Who else?" she asked without looking up.

"They have captured many of our brothers and sisters, most of which you haven't met. But they have Grace, Jefferson's daughter."

Looking obviously confused Emma sat without a word.

"I believe you know him as the Mad Hatter." She finished.

"Their most recent capture was Widow Lucas, Red's grandmother."

_As in Little Red riding hood and her grandmother who was ate by the wolf? God, Emma, don't ask._

"I'm sorry to hear that." Emma looked up caringly, not knowing what else to do. Before Mulan could replay, the front door chimed again. Behind Mulan, strolled in another woman. This one had redish- brown curly hair and icy blue eyes that Emma saw shining before the woman made it to her desk. The woman was also clad in leather armor, complete with knee high laced up boots that appeared to be composed of alligator hide. _Oh goody, another crazy. At least this one is crazy attractive._ Emma shook her head and cleared her throat before addressing the new woman.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?"

"Not now, I came for Mulan." The Beauty spoke in a soft accent that Emma couldn't place. "Come, Mulan, we have to be back to the ship in ten minutes. You are wasting your time with Emma, she doesn't remember who we are." She said in a whisper, hoping Emma would not hear.

"What do you mean she doesn't know who we are? Belle, I fought alongside Emma and Snow to defeat Cora and Hook when he turned on us." Mulan sounded panicked as she tried to keep her voice down. "She knows me, Belle."

Through this exchange, Emma continued to silently take notes, pretending to not hear what was being discussed. _This is probably the weirdest thing I have ever experienced. Well, aside from the other two clowns, yesterday. Did she just say 'Belle'? Awesome, we have the beauty, now wait for the beast._

"Mulan, the curse that made the tornado that sent everyone home…" Belle searched the warrior's face before continuing. "Regina gave them new memories, they don't know who we are, or who they are for that matter." She finished and sent a soft smile to Emma, over Mulan's shoulder.

"This is ridiculous, Belle. How do we make her remember?"

"With Rumple gone, I don't know that anyone is strong enough to. Except maybe Regina." Belle said in a whisper so quiet, Emma almost missed it.

Looking up, Emma made eye contact with Belle and smiled one more. "Are we done here, ladies?"

Mulan spun around and smiled at the blonde, hiding her pain. "Yes, I am sorry I wasted your time, Emma." With that Emma bowed her head and heard the door go off again.

"Holy shit." Emma said with a sigh. "I can't wait to tell the kid about this one." She laughed aloud.

Reading through her notes, she underlined the names 'Charming, Grace, Jefferson, Aurora, Snow, Red, Granny, Rumplestiltskin and Regina. She stared at the last name for a few seconds and smiled as she tore away the page and slipped it into her pocket.

Meanwhile, Henry crossed off locations from his list as he visited barges floating in the chain that made up The Marina. "They have to be somewhere." He told himself. He looked down and realized that he had gone through his whole list with no avail. Disappointed, he started the walk home. Henry checked the time and saw that it was only noon by the time he made it back to his building. He slumped back against the clay brick wall and took at deep breath, trying to clear his head. Just then he heard the sound of waves smashing into wood. "The Docks!" he said, jumping up and taking off in the opposite direction of what he had come from. Five intersections and twenty long minutes later, he found himself staring off into a barren docking site. There were no boats, no tie offs, no people. There were only waves crashing onto the shore and licking at the old wooden catwalk. He threw himself on the ground in defeat and he stared off into the pastel blue waters. "Maybe mom was right. Maybe they were just crazy people." He said to the water.

Just then, there were voices coming up behind him and coming up fast. Henry dove behind an old barrel that was half buried in the sand next to him. Two women, clad in warrior armor came trotting up to the water, their voices raised in argument as they walked onto thin air and vanished.

"Oh man, No way. No way that just happened." Henry whispered in disbelief. He looked around for a second to see if anyone else would come. After a few short minutes, he took a deep, calculating breath. "Yup, I'm going for it." He told himself as he ran out from his hiding spot and up to where the women had stood. Their foot prints were still visible in the sand. "Don't screw this up, Henry." He told himself before jumping head first toward the water. Much to his surprise, he landed hard on a plank of wood, several feet off the water's surface. "Oh god, oh god." She whispered. "I did it."

Looking up, Henry saw giant white sails and dark wooden pieces making up what he knew in his heart was the Jolly Rodger. He crawled his way up to the deck and stood up. Quietly he tip toed around to the helm, looking for the women he saw earlier.

"Oi, kid!" Hook shouted.

Henry froze, he thought about diving into the water but then thought better of it. Instead, he played like he was exactly where he needed to be. Taking a deep breath and pushing his shoulders back, Henry spun around to face the Captain.

"Killian." Henry nodded.

"Henry, do you remember, boy?" Hooks eyes grew wide.

"No. but I believe you… and Tinker Bell."

"Ah, heart of the truest believer, this lad." Hook smiled as he turned to the women coming up from under the deck.

Dumbfounded, Henry stared at the three women in front of him. Two of the three smiled warmly at him but Mulan looked quite serious. "He can't help us, Hook, we need Emma." She said loud enough for all to hear.

"No, Mulan, he is the son of the savior, the Queens and the grandson of The Dark one and Prince David." He spun on her. "If there is anyone who can help us to get through to Miss Swan, it is this boy."

"Mulan?!" Henry gasped. "No way, this is so cool. I am on the Jolly Rodger with The Great Warrior Mulan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook and who I can only assume is the ever beautiful Princess Belle." Henry was practically jumping up and down, his cheeks burning with excitement.

"Enough of the flattery, boy. We have little time. Here is what you need to know…" Mulan repeated everything that she had told Emma earlier.

"You have to look out for Jefferson, Henry." Hook stepped in. "He is working for the witch, she has his only daughter Grace, forcing him to do her bidding."

"How will I know him?"

"He is the Mad Hatter, boy. He had had his head once removed by the late Queen of Heart, Cora. It is obvious, the scar…" he shook his head. "It is obvious."

Writing down everything in his notebook, Henry looked up at the group. "Who is Snow?" he asked.

"Snow White, The White Queen is your grandmother. Emma's mother. David, Prince… ah, King Charming, is your grandfather, Snow's true love. Rumplestiltskin, the late Dark One is your father's father, the woman known formerly as the Evil Queen, raised you in Stroybrooke, Regina is now known as the Red Queen to some, not to be confused with The Queen of hearts, Regina's dead mother."

Henry ceased his writing at the mention of his father. "Who is my father?" he looked up with a plea in his voice.

"You father is a warrior" Mulan started.

"Baelfire is his name." Hook smiled at the boy.

"Neal, he goes by Neal now. He is kind of my step son." Belle filled in.

"He is a great man, Henry." Tink finished.

Henry finished writing everything that was said, in his book.

"Now, off boy. You remember what we said? We will meet you here in a week's time. Good luck Lad." Hook said as he steered Henry down the ramp and safely onto the shore.

Checking his watch again, Henry gasped a he realized his mother would be getting off work in less than five minutes. "Oh no." He said as he broke into a dead run into the center of town. It took Emma all of around seven minutes to get home from the station on a bad traffic day and less than one to make it to the door from the street. He ran the six blocks home, his lungs burning like they were going to explode. Rounding the corner of the building, he spotted the yellow bug coming into its parking spot. "Yikes" he panted as he ran up the fire escape, skipping steps as he dove up higher and higher. He did a tuck and roll into the window and he jumped up to close it. He quickly grabbed the cup he had forgotten to bring with him, from the table. Running to his room, he dumped off his backpack, put the cup down and darted into the living room. Jumping the back of the sofa, he reached for the remote before he had even landed. With the press of a button, the television sprang to life. Behind him, a key scraped the inside of the door's lock and he held his breath.

The door swung open with a thud and the blonde walked in, smiling. "Hey kid, you won't believe the shit I have been through today."

"Do tell," he jumped up, looking surprised to see her. "I love a good story" she smiled at her warmly as she sat down next to him and turned off the television.


	4. Chapter 4

**Moving it right along. Thank you for all the Favs, Follows and Reviews! You are all just lovely. =) -DR**

4.

"Mulan, you say?" Henry looked at her, mouth open. He was trying to look as surprised as he could, not wanting to tell her just yet that he had actually met the people that she was telling him about. He knew that he would be in serious trouble if she knew he was out of the house against her wishes.

"I know, it sounds crazy right? She went on and on about a war with the Wicked Witch." She said, laughing.

"Like, from The Wizard of Oz?"

"Exactly! The woman even mentioned Dorothy… what a spazz." After she told Henry all that had happened, she remembered how hungry she was. Emma had got up from beside the boy and was making her way to the kitchen. "Are you still wanting lasagna?" she called from beside the stove.

"Actually mom, I'm pretty tired. Can we just do like eggs and toast or something that doesn't take forever and a day to cook?"

"umm, sure. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yea, yea. No, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind. I have to leave early in the morning though. I have to print off some papers for class at the library before I go in." he said, trying to talk his way out of too many questions.

"Alright kid, as long as you're okay."

After their dinner was consumed, Henry went to his room straight away. Emma poked around in the kitchen for a bit, cleaning and rearranging the cabinets for no real reason. She was restless. There just wasn't enough room in her apartment, she was feeling trapped. Henry hadn't responded to her news, as she thought he would. She noticed that he was deep in thought for most of her story. She knew he had to be up to something.

"Hey, Henry?" she called down the hall. When she didn't get a reply, she moved down to his door.

"Kid, what are you doing?" from the other side of the door, she could hear him moving around.

She knocked on the door and then opened it. Henry was sitting at his desk, writing in a notebook. He didn't notice that she was standing in the middle of the doorway and Emma realized why. _Headphone, well, that would explain the silence_ she thought. She crept ever so slowly up behind him and peaked over his shoulder, her face close enough to hear his music playing.

"Whatcha writing?" she called into his ear. This caused Henry to jump up quickly and slam his book shut.

"Nothing important. Don't you knock anymore?" he snapped up at the blonde in slight aggravation.

"I did. You didn't answer. Don't listen to your music so loud and maybe I wouldn't have to sneak up on you." She smiled. She had noticed that he was practically guarding the notebook. "is that your diary?" she picked at him.

"no, mom. This is just a journal. Nothing touchy-feely. Did you need something?" he shot her a sarcastic look and she got the point.

Backing up a few paces, she was going to ask what his deal was but she decided she would figure it out later.

"'Uh, no. I just wanted to tell you that I was going to go for a walk. You look busy so I wont ask that you join me."

"Alright, have fun."

"I love you, don't destroy anything."

"I love you too." He smiled at her as she closed the door on her way out.

Henry turned back to his desk and flipped his notebook back open. He continued to write descriptions about the people he had met, how they had acted and what they talked about. When he thought he couldn't come up with anything else, he flipped to the next page. With a sigh, he scribbled "How to Tell Mom" at the top and underlined it a few times. He went down the page and made bullets of possible scenarios. After he got half way down the page, he gave up. Throwing his book down, he walked over to his bed and collapsed.

Emma grabbed her keys and took off out the door. She didn't have a destination in mind but it didn't really matter to her. She walked to an orchard that was next to the courthouse, in town. She had a bad craving for an apple, all the sudden. After she saw no one was around, she slipped a big red apple off a branch and made her way back. She could see her refection in the polished metal of the fence beside her as she hit the sidewalk. She shined the fruit on her sleeve before bringing it to her lips.

"Miss Swan, you really shouldn't steal from your neighbors." She heard a voice say. She looked around but saw no one. The voice sounded familiar but she was so used to hearing things here lately that she just shrugged it off and sank her teeth into the fruit's flesh, juice ran from her lips and down her chin.

_This is the juiciest apple of my life_ she thought as she ran her fingers up her skin, collecting the spilled juices and returning it to her mouth.

"Meet me in the park, Emma." The voice continued. Emma jumped and coughed, spitting apple out onto the pavement. She looked around again. There was no one. "I'll be waiting." Goose bumps covered her skin as she stood looking hard towards the park. She was about to turn and run when she felt a hand on her hip. The sensation made her dizzy as she looked to where she felt contact. There was nothing there, not that she could see. The feeling moved from her hip, up her back and was now resting on her shoulder. She felt as if she were being led, pulled in the direction on the park. Reluctantly she just started walking, looking around for any signs life.

Passing through the gate to the park, she noticed that it was empty. There were no kids on the swings or jungle-Jim and no one at the benches. She walked over to one of the swings and set herself in the seat. She sat there, shaking from her nerves but she didn't really move. She just looked around and waited. She felt like she was there against her will but she was too curious to run away now.

_I think it was her voice but there is no possible way to meet a dream in a park. This is so stupid. Why am I here? Get it together Swan. You need to seek professional help about this shit. _Looking up at the sky, she could see that it was starting to get dark, a full moon was visible through the trees and she thought about how Henry might worry if she wasn't home soon.

Slowly, she stood up. She made her way over to the bench that was on the opposite side of the park. The area was flanked with trees and it made the air seem cooler. She was about to sit down when she heard something moving in the bushes behind the bench.

"Hello?" she focused on the source of the sound, peering hard into the brush.

She was met with two glowing yellow eyes, just a few feet from the ground. Emma took a step back, preparing to run. Her eyes were glued to the seemingly floating orbs. She didn't know if she even felt threatened, there was something so familiar in them. She felt as if she has seen them before but she didn't know if she wanted to stick around to see who or what they were attached to.

Deciding running wasn't what she came to this park to do, the blonde walked forward to confront whatever was staring her down. As she approached the tree line, she heard a whimpering. _Really Swan, it's a dog. You're freaking out over a pooch?!_ She stooped down and made a clicking sound behind her teeth.

"Come here little guy, its okay." She said softly, to not spook the creature.

Twigs snapped and leaves crunched as the animal slowly approached her. As it came closer, it got taller. Emma, shocked, stayed perfectly still, keeping her eyes locked on the yellow ones as they came closer to her. Once the animal's head had pierced the brush, a gasp left the blonde. _Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. That isn't a dog, Emma. _She almost fell backwards as the giant brown and grey head on a larger than life wolf revealed itself. Panic was oozing off Emma in waves as the wolf did not halt it's advance. Not once did they break eye contact. The wolf was mere inches from her face, it's eyes were soft, almost human. Emma finally fell backwards as the creature moved to stand over top of her. Closing her eyes, Emma started screaming in her head. _How is this even possible? How is there a freakishly huge wolf in my face?! Oh god, it's going to eat me!_

As she contemplated death, Emma felt a soft touch on her face followed by pressure on her side. Opening her eyes, she saw that the creature had layed down next to her and put its face to hers. After a while of lying still, she guessed that her new friend wasn't actually going to eat her. With shaking fingers, Emma moved to place her hand on the wolf's fur. The contact made Emma feel fuzz on the inside, like she would feel if she was seeing an old friend again after years of being apart. She felt safe.

"You're not so scary, are you, Pup?" she whispered. At that, the wolf lifted its head and plastered a thick, moist tongue to the blonde's cheek.

"Eww."

Just then, a man appeared over Emma's face. He looked down at her, knowingly. The wolf noticed him but made no movement. Emma's heart began to race. She didn't want to move too quickly because the wolf might misunderstand but she didn't want to lay there with a man peering down on her.

"Hello Dearie, hard day? Beautiful beast you have there." At the word "beast" the wolf let a low growl and Emma flinched, expecting an attack. The man had a squeaky voice with a thick accent and all she could really make out from his features was that he was older than she was and perhaps a business man, as he was in a suit. His long hair draped over his face, making recognition impossible for her.

The man looked over to the wolf that was staring at him. "I'm sorry, Red. That was a little rude." He then let out a small, terrifyingly shrill giggle and looked back to Emma who was staring, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"Miss Swan, do not fret. I am here to help you along in your journey. If you weren't so stubborn…" he scoffed. "What am I saying?" he threw his head back and laughed. "You will never, not be stubborn." With that, he leaned down closer to the face still staring at him and he held out his hand.

"Who are you?" Emma asked trying to wiggle out from under the wolf's weight, she was breathing harshly in frustration.

"Not important. Sweetest dreams, Dearie." He giggled once more and threw a pink powder into Emma's face. She didn't even have time to look away. Her world went black.

"Miss Swan, if you would so kindly."

Emma didn't move. She was out cold. "Miss Swan!" The woman called. There was a flicker of movement behind the blonde's eye lids as she began to stir.

"Dammit, Emma. I don't have all night to wait for you to get in your beauty sleep."

At the mention of her first name, Emma opened her eyes. She was laying on the ground in what seemed to be a forest. Her eyes darted around the scene as she tried to recognize her surroundings. She sat up, continuing to look around. All she could see was trees. _Where am I now? I swear I heard a voice._

"How nice of you to join me, Dear." Emma spun around and around trying to find the source.

"Where are you? What do you want?" Emma carried on in a defensive tone.

"Easy. Stop spinning before you get dizzy. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." A poof of thin purple smoke spun in front of Emma, slowly at first and then it turned into a small tornado before dying abruptly. There stood the woman from Emma's dream. She was clad in royal armor, it was polished and it fit nicely against her curves. The woman's hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword fastened to her hip. Her caramel eyes were sharp through heavy black eye makeup- almost war paint. Her lips lush and deep red.

Emma's eyes grew wider by the second. She was holding her breath, unintentionally.

"You." She gasped.

The woman nodded with a smile. Her eyes were fixed on Emma.

"Why are you haunting me?"

"Now, now, Dear. I am not _haunting _you. Not really, I would have to be dead to do that, I am simply watching and waiting. Getting your attention, not haunting"

"What then? What do you want?"

"We need you to come back. I need you to come back."

"Come back?! Come back where, exactly?"

"You have false memories, Emma. The life you are living, it is not yours at all."

"Oh please, please tell me you are the one that the freak shows following me around have been blabbering about." Emma's tone was harsh. "I think I would know, Lady, I have been living this like for thirty years."

The woman walked over the blonde and put her finger softly to Emma's lips.

"If you would pay attention, Miss Swan, this is very important."

Emma simply nodded, feeling like she could be sick from the butterflies in her stomach.

"I gave you your life. I gave you Henry. I took everyone back to their lands after Pan attacked us. I don't care if you don't remember me or anyone else for that matter but you, you are the one who can help us. Your father has been taken captive and will die if we can't reach him in time."

Green eyes glared at the woman as she went on and on, a story that Emma had already heard. "I don't have a father, I don't have parents and I have no interest in playing your fucked up game, lady. This is all in my head, anyway."

"Do we really have to relive all of the non-believer fiasco again?" The older woman sighed heavily.

"How do you know about Henry?"

"What?"

"Henry, you said you gave him to me… how?" She glared hard into the other's brown eyes.

"He is my son." Looking down, she felt a pain in her heart.

Emma stepped forward into the woman, nose to nose she spoke through a tight jaw. "Henry is my son, lady, you are crazy."

"Our son, Emma. Our son."

Something wet touched Emma's face. Again and again, little droplets bounced off her skin. She looked up, there were no clouds.

The brunette warped her arms around Emma and pulled her clumsily into an embrace. The blonde's heart felt as if it were going to explode. She fought the urge to return this hug but it was like her body had it's own agenda. Her hands ran up the woman's sides and then around to clasp onto her back. The leather armor between them was surprisingly soft. Emma ran her hands over it repeatedly. The brunette rested her head on Emma's should as the blonde slowly dissipated. Looking up, the woman planted a small kiss on Emma's neck before she was completely gone.

"Well, this sucks. That got us nowhere." The woman huffed. Looking around, the woman saw her comrades standing around her.

"Regina, what was that?!" The short haired woman said in almost a growl.

"A hug?" She replied coyly.

"Why did you hug Emma? You don't even like her!"

"Snow, Dear, if I didn't like her, do you think I would have given Henry to her?" She glared at the woman in front of her. "My girl, don't be naive."

"I should have been the one doing the talking." Snow huffed.

"She couldn't see us..." the short, stalky, bald man to her left started.

"Leroy!" Snow snapped as she walked away leaving Regina to her thoughts.

Emma opened her eyes to find she was still laying in the park, Wolf at her side. She sat up and wiped her eyes. _That dude drugged me._ She thought, looking around, the sun was bright in her eyes through the dark rain clouds.

"Ah, Shit" she mumbled, searching for her phone. The wolf stood up at her side and stretched out.

"of course it's 6:30 in the morning. Of course I passed out in the park. Henry is probably worried sick." Emma patted the wolf on the head and started the walk home, leaving her friend to lurk back into the brush.

She made her way into her building and up the stairs. Keying herself into her apartment, the smell of burnt eggs hit her.

"Eww, Henry!" she called out.

When there was no reply, she walked to his room and cracked the door. _Guess he already left._

She padded down the hall to her room and stripped down in the doorway. Throwing her clothes down onto the growing pile by the closet she stopped dead in her tracks when she caught her refection in the mirror. At first she could have sworn she saw the dream woman instead of herself. Blinking a few times, she cleared her head and focused on her refection one more. On her jaw, there was a blot of black paint and under it, a smeared lip print. It was deep red.

"Jesus. What the hell happened to me?" She placed a finger over the red on her neck. Her stomach jolted as she was reminded of the kiss. Quickly she rubbed off the foreign markings and dropped down onto her bed. She set an alarm on her phone for three hours. Mondays were always slow at the station, she wouldn't be missed. Closing her eyes, she saw the woman again but the image faded as she was granted a dreamless sleep.

Henry made his was from the library to the front lawn of the school. He was walking at a faster pace than usual. When at the library, Henry found a book without a code on it. He had assumed someone had left it by accident but when he took it to the front desk the librarian told him that a woman had left it there with specific instructions to give it to a Henry. He had turned the book over in his hands. There was a note in the front cover that read "When you are in the presence of only believers, you will understand". It was signed _Snow._ In a hurry to be alone, Henry darted up the stairs to the school house. Once inside the door, he saw an open janitor's closet. _How convenient. _He ducked inside and closed the door.

The boy dug the book out of his bag and opened the cover. The pages were blank. Confused, he read the note again. _But I do believe. _ He closed and opened the book again and again. In frustration Henry let a low groan escape his throat. Sitting the book down in defeat, He whispered half in tears…. "I do believe" Suddenly a white light burst from it's pages and Henry snatched it up. The book had changed from a hard bound book with a black, blank cover, to that of a largr book bound in thick leather. The front read "Once Upon A Time." Henry felt his stomach lurch as he flipped through the pages. Flashes of his past played in front of his eyes. He watched pan be killed, Rumple disappear. Shaking, he saw his last goodbye with Regina. "Mom." he whispered as tears rolled down his face. He remembered.

The first bell of classes rang and shook Henry out of his moment. He smiled and wiped the tears from his face. Tucking the book safely into his bag, he turned to the door. "Thank you, Mary Margret." He whispered and twisted the knob. When the door opened, a man in a dark cape and top-hat stood in front of him, waiting.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I needed a quiet place to make a phone call." Henry stuttered at the man, not looking up at him.

"Hello Henry." The man put his hand on Henry's shoulder, forcefully.

"Oh no." He looked up, recognizing the voice.

"The Wicked one wishes to see you." He whispered as he cloaked the boy and vanished into a cloud of smoke.

The smoke had sent off the fire detector and the building was evacuated. Children lined the lawn as the fire marshal arrived. He checked the sensors and deemed it save to resume classes. On his way back to the fire station, the marshal phoned the police department to brief the sheriff on the situation and have his secretary fill out some forms. When the call reached the station, Emma was not there to answer.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

The afternoon sun creeping through the bedroom window was warm on Emma's face. She had kicked the blankets that had once covered her, to the floor, in her sleep. She was pulled from the darkness of her dreamlessness by a cool hand on her cheek. The blonde's eyes fluttered a bit as she stirred.

"Emma." A soft voice spoke.

Emma jumped at the sound and her eyes flew open. In front of her stood the woman she was so used to seeing. Emma took a deep breath and focused on the eyes above her. The other woman smiled at her gently, she couldn't help but let her eyes scan the blonde's exposed body. Her smile grew a little wider.

"Miss Swan, we have a problem." She said, eyes still fixed on the pale skin and black fabric in front of her. She wanted so badly to reach out, to run her fingers down the blonde's skin. To feel the woman buckle under her touch. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she closed her eyes and looked up into Emma's sleepy face.

"How did you get in here?" Emma asked nervously, her face grew hot as her realized that she was clad in nothing but her undergarments. She reached down, grabbing her blanket and pulled the plush fabric to her chest with a shaking hand.

"I'm a queen Dear, a magical queen…" She looked at Emma with an eyebrow raised. "No? nothing?" She looked away and stood up, taking to pacing the room. "Very well, then. I flew in on my broom. It's not important how I got here…"

"The hell it isn't." Emma shot across the bed, ignoring how amused the brunette seemed. She leaned back onto her pillow, turned to her bed side table and gasped. "Holy shit, Its after noon. I'm so late."

Emma started out of her bed. She continued ignoring the other woman's glances. She let out a suggestive cough in the brunette's direction. Regina turned her back to Emma with a slight huff. Emma hurried to dress. She slid on a white tank-top and wiggled into a pair of jeans before slamming her rear down onto the bed to put on her boots.

"Miss Swan, we have a serious problem." The woman said casually, as she turned around to face the blonde.

"Oh yea we do. There is an intruder in my home. Or…" She looked around for a moment. "or I'm bat-shit crazy and I need serious help."

"More serious than this situation, I can assure you."

"Listen lady, I have got to go. I'm sure you will show up later, we can talk then." Emma said over her shoulder as she hurried out of the room and into the kitchen, leaving the brunette standing in her room.

A purple swirl of smoke appeared in front of the blonde before she had her hand on the doorknob. After the smoke had cleared, the brunette cleared her throat.

"No, really." She said calmly. She caught a pair of green eyes in her own. "We need to talk now."

"I don't know you, I don't know these people who keep showing up. I don't know what you want…"

Regina through up her hand and stole the blonde's voice right from her throat. "Stop your babbling Miss Swan. Please. You know me, I promise. You know all of us. Even the idiots..." A grin crept onto her face as she watched the panic grow in the green eyes across from her. "It is very important that you listen to me, not talk. I will give it back when I am ready to hear you carry on like a mad woman.

Emma was silently screaming. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she knew just then that she was about to hyperventilate. Her chest grew tight and her head began to spin. _Fuck! What did she do to me? She has killed me. _Emma grabbed at her throat and continued to try to speak.

"Seriously, Dear, you have to calm down. We have a very serious problem. Hen…" A loud rapping on the door halted Regina's speech. She stepped over to Emma and put her hand to the blonde's flushed face. "You should have just trusted me. now, you will have a blast with this one." She whispered, breathing heavily in Emma's burning ear. With that she vanished into a haze of purple.

"Damn it you crazy bitch!" Emma's voice was back. With wide eyes, she slapped her hands to her mouth. The knocking began again. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

There stood an average size man, facing away from her. All she could see was a dark leather jacket, faded blue jeans and brown shaggy hair. For a moment she could have sworn it was Henry she was looking at.

"What?" she asked quickly.

The man turned around slowly. For every inch he turned, Emma's face fell a little more into a frown. A smile spread across his face as he stared into her eyes.

"Emma." He said, reaching out to her.

She pulled back, slammed the door in his face and slid down the door. _What the fuck is going on here? Is this real life?!_

"Come on Em, let me in. We need to talk. I'm not going to hurt you." The man called through the door.

"Go away, Neal."

"Emma, I am not leaving."

"Oh really? It's a pretty easy thing for you to do. Just go. I don't care what you have to say." She shot, turning around to face the door and then getting to her feet.

"Emma, Henry is in trouble!" Neal called softly.

At that, Emma threw the door open and grabbed him by the collar. She pulled him in and threw him against the wall, gripping his shirt with both hands."How do you know about Henry?!" There was a fire behind her eyes that he had only seen in Neverland. He was slightly shaking at the sight.

"Emma, I have known Henry for a few years, we rescued him from Pan together. With my dad and your parents and Hook and Tink and Regina. I know you don't remember but Emma, it's true." He pleaded.

"You can go to Hell with your made up bullshit Neal, I haven't seen you in over ten years. Since you left me in jail to rot. " She stared him in the eyes and was so close to his face that he could feel her breath in his chin.

"I came back. I came back to you, to Henry. I don't have time to explain but you have to come back with me. We can give you back your.."

"Why the hell does everyone want me to go with them?!" she yelled, releasing his shirt and throwing her hands in the air. "I am so tired of all this weird shit.I am not going anywhere. Not the Enchanted Forest, not anywhere. You people are crazy. I'v been seeing shit, hearing voices, dreaming about a woman…"

"A woman?" Neal raised an eyebrow at her.

"Shut up Neal. I don't trust you. I would have remembered if you came back." She glared at him.

He plunged his hand deep into his pocket and pulled out a silver chain. He dangled it in the air between them. A charm with a swan on it swung back and forth before her eyes. There were no words as Emma reached up and grabbed the necklace. Neal smiled at her warmly as she met his gaze.

"Where did you get this?"

"You threw it at me in a bar when we met again for the first time since I left. It was almost three years ago. You came with my dad and Henry..."

She stared at him with eyes wide in pure confusion. Turning the charm over in her hand she felt her eyes begin to burn with the tears building inside them.

"Lair." She threw the necklace at him and pushed him backwards. "All you have ever done is lie to me, Neal Cassidy, lie and break my heart. Get the hell out of my house. I don't have to listen to your shit."

With one final push, Neal was to the hallway. Emma was mid slam when he caught the door. Panting, he made his last attempt. "Emma wait!" He wedged himself back through the door. He placed his hands on both sides of her face and pulled her into a fighting kiss. It lasted for less than a second before Emma twisted out of his hands and threw him a knee much as she had done to Hook.

"Fuck you, Neal." She slammed the door as he fell backward into the hallway. He let out a long groan as he hit the floor.

He looked up with a pained face as the purple haze drifted down the hall and Regina materialized in front of him. She carried an ice pack and a huge smile.

"Let me guess…." She lifted her pointer finger to her red lips and looked around as if she were thinking very hard. "It didn't work?" She smiled down at him.

"She doesn't love me." He groaned, trying to sit up.

"Because we didn't already know that bit of information." She said in an obnoxiously grand manner. "That's okay, Dear. Now you and Hook have more in common... Stories to share." She laughed as she threw him the ice pack.

They sat in the hallway in silence for a while, just staring at Emma's door. When she finally opened it, It was only long enough for them to see her face, and open their mouths to speak before it was slammed again. Soon, Regina touched Neal's hand and dissipated, leaving the hallway empty save for the lingering purple smoke.

Emma was pacing her kitchen, rage coming off her in waves. She had poured herself a shot and downed it quickly when she finally took to leaning against the counter top. Her palms were face down on the cool tile. She stretched her body out and stared at the floor. _I can't believe this shit. There is no way this is happening to me. _ Standing back up, she looked over the island to the kitchen table where the bright red apple still sat. With a groan of pure anger she left her position and moved to the table. She had every intention of smashing the fruit against the tile. When she reached for it though, a wave of energy fell over her. Flashes of light flooded her vision. She then saw a scene where Henry was standing in front of a closet with a man in a hat and long jacket. A few seconds later and they were gone in a great puff of thick smoke.

Confused, she dropped the apple to the floor and the vision stopped. She stood in shock for a moment and then quickly reached for her phone. She called the school and learned about the fire alarm and that Henry was not accounted for. Crying, she ran to his room. When she reached the door, she had no idea what she was doing. She opened it slowly, like she was expecting to find him asleep in his bed. Instead she found an empty room. His bag was gone but as she inspected her surroundings, the notebook on his desk caught her attention.

Slowly, she picked it up and sat herself down in his desk chair. She flipped through many pages of random doodles before she found his "Real life fairy tale" page. Her face flushed and her ears burned as she read through the many descriptions of the people he too had spoke with. She noticed that the conversations that littered the page didn't run parallel with hers. The name Neal was underlined in the text and her heart stopped.

"I didn't tell Henry about Neal." She gasped.

Turning the page she realized that Henry had planned to tell her that he believed the stories told to be truthful and at that, she began to cry again.

She closed the book and stormed from the room. She had read that Henry met the people at the docks and so that was her destination. When she pulled open the door, she saw that her followers had disappeared and so she fled the building quickly and made for her car.

She paced the beach in search for clues. She saw nothing but foot prints leading off into the water. Her heart sank as she felt around in the water. There was nothing there.

"Emma, I found you." A deep voice boomed from behind her.

Spinning around, she was met with a warm smile from a giant man in crimson robes. He had many pieces of jewelry around his neck and wrists. In a way, he looked like an over sized gypsy.

"Who are you?!" She gasped looking up at the wild haired man.

"I'm Anton. I know you don't remember but I have to take you with me." He frowned a little as Emma began to back away from him. The look on her face was less than thrilled to see him.

"Emma please, I wont hurt you." He reached out to her, pleading.

"No, No. you stay away from me!" She drew a fist and lunged forward.

The giant caught her mid-air and held her tight as she fought hard against him. "Emma, I am your friend." He said softly.

"Yea right, you kidnapped my son, you bastard!"

"No, that is why I'm here. Jefferson took Henry to the Wicked Queen and we have to save him. you wouldn't listen to anyone else..." He loosened his grip and she wiggled out of his arms, falling to his feet.

"You're crazy. You're all crazy!" She scurried to her feet and began to run.

Anton reached into his pocket and drew out a single, crystal like bean and tossed it to the ground in front of her. At that, she stopped and turned to him, Half laughing.

"What the hell is that?" She squeaked.

"Our ride home." He smiled as he barreled towards her.

The ground under Emma's feet began to shake as the earth broke free into a huge glowing hole. She looked down into the swirling colors that plunged into the unknown. Backing up as fast as she could, she was met by the giant's embrace as he lifted her from the ground. She screamed but couldn't get free as the giant lunged himself, her in his arms, into the portal. Her heart felt as if it were going to collapse on itself as she spun wildly into the darkness at the core of the spiral. She continued to scream but all she could hear was the tearing of the wind as she took to clinging to the giant's arms around her body.

**I know this chapter seems kind of rushed and a bit crazy. It is an important lead up to the action so it only seems right to be kind of erratic with this one. Thank you, thank you for all the reviews and such! Keep those review coming, I love hearing from you. Stick with it, guys and gals because now, we have a clear path to where all the magic happens! Hold on to your diapies babies, we're goin in. =) -DR**


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Emma was still screaming when the impact knocked her out cold. Anton, gathering himself off the ground, and he looked around. They were in a barren field, the ground was damp but the grass was flat, brown and dead. The smell of smoke was in the air and it pooled on the horizon.

Before Anton had a chance to really take it all in, a shrill screeching rang in his ears. He turned around, searching for the source but he could see nothing. Scooping the unconscious blonde up into his arms he made off in the opposite direction. The further he traveled, the thicker the smoke became. His chest burned and his eyes were full of tears but he marched on blindly, towards the tree line. He fumbled as he tripped over what he could only assume was the bad of a fallen warrior.

Behind him, the screeching grew louder, he couldn't move any faster, his lungs were on fire. There was a violent tug on his arm, and then his back became heavy with the weight of an enemy. Soon, he was surrounded, being pulled from all directions. He hit the ground hard, still holding Emma in his arms. He took a swing, knocking one of the ruthless attackers to the ground. He saw then that the attackers were monkeys, monkeys with giant wings and tails like sword, shining bight as a polished blade. Gathering his strength, he reached out for the fallen creature, gripping it's cold, metallic tail. He rolled to his knees and tucked Emma safely underneath him with his free hand. The creature in his fist was dead. He pulled it back over his shoulder and swung it with such force that he was able to knock three more to the ground with it. Tears streamed down his face as he swung over and over at the flying mammals that tore into his flesh. There were too many, for every fallen one, three seemed to join in its place. Blood trickled down the giant's face and was absorbed into his robes. The once beautiful crimson garment was quickly turning brown. His vision was failing him as he threw both arms wildly in every direction. Soon, he was pinned on all fours by the weight of his attackers. He looked down at Emma who's blonde hair was now red with the giant's blood. "I'm sorry, Emma.' He whispered.

Just as the giant was about to give up, to let the animals destroy him, the distinct sound of war-cries thundered out ahead of him. Looking up through his blood matted hair he could see the silhouettes of four or five people headed his way.

"Help!" He cried to the figures, as he threw his massive fist in the air. only to be pinned again by the creature now digging under him to get to the girl he guarded.

"Hang in there, Chap!" A male voice called back to him.

The sounds of metal clashing on metal and of arrows being shot were ringing out all around Anton as he shoved of paw after grabbing paw. The screeching grew deafeningly loud as the creatures were being cut down quickly.

"Take that you bloody flying rat!" The same man called.

"These creatures are hideous." A female voice screamed.

Anton felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "We're here, big fella. Just hang tight, they are retreating." The pirate said through a wide smile.

"Thank you." Anton beamed, gasping for air as the weight slowly lessened from his back.

"They are all gone." A man spoke, approaching the mountain of a man. As Anton rolled over to his side, he could see the man clearly. He was clad in a dark green jacket with a high collar, his sleeves were rolled to his elbow and a bow hung in his hand.

"You did good, Anton." Belle said softly. "Lets get you to the camp and get you all cleaned up." She smiled at him.

Many hands clutched at the giant as he was pulled to his feet. Only one of his companions came anywhere near his size, a man with long hair and a shaggy beard pulled the giant's weight onto his shoulder and walked slowly ahead.

"How far?" Anton asked.

On the hillside in front of him, he could see a woman scouting ahead. She danced between the trees, silently. She looked down at the group and signaled for the man in green. He came to her side and drew an arrow back, holding steady, the woman did the same. Simultaneously their arrows hissed through the air. There were two soft thuds as she signaled the march forward.

"Twenty minute walk." Hook said, looking up into Anton's swollen face. He reached down and grabbed Emma's still unconscious body with his good hand. He tried to hoist her onto his shoulder but his hand slipped and she toppled back to the ground.

"Hook, you idiot, you're going to kill her." Tink hissed as she stooped to Emma's side.

"Throw her on up here, Luv." He smiled at her and patted his shoulder with his hook.

"Yea right." Belle said as she stooped opposite the fairy. She slid her hand the blonde's body and Tink did the same. Together they pulled Emma to her feet and pulled her along behind the company that marched ahead.

"I had her." Hook groaned to the man helping the giant along.

"You won't get my sympathy, Pirate." The man boomed.

"Now Jon, be nice." The man in green called back to him after hearing the exchange.

"Oh come off it Robin." The man replied coolly.

"Do you think you boys can focus long enough to get these people back to the tree?" Mulan shouted into the air as she shot them a stern look. "It seems to me that the ladies are doing most of the work here."

"Oh? Is that right, Luv?" Hook raised an eyebrow, challengingly. "The thing is…" he looked around, focusing on Belle and Tink. "I see no ladies here."

Mulan glared hard at the offending man, she was silent as he walked right past her up the hill. There was a gasp from the two carrying Emma behind the party. He could feel their glares sinking into his back.

"You, especially, are no lady." He called back after deciding he was a safe distance from the warrior.

A sharp stinging bubbled up on Hook's cheek as he saw the arrow fly past his face. Spinning around he saw Mulan, standing tall, bow in hand. He put a finger to his cheek and pulled it away to see the blood that she had drawn.

"Next time, Pirate, I wont miss." She said flatly.

At that, Jon boomed a laugh and the girls giggled. Robin just shook his head with a grin on his face.

"They are not only ladies, Hook, but I fear our Mulan may be a better man than even you." Jon called ahead to the back of a moping man.

"Bloody right, she is a man." Hook whispered to himself as he continued forward.

"We're here." Hook called as he took a few more paces. He slumped against the base of a grand tree before sliding to the ground with a heavy sigh.

Jon and Robin hoisted Anton down to the ground as gently as they could and they then turned to the women who were in the process of laying Emma to the ground. "You got it?" Jon asked softly.

"I believe so." Belle replied without looking at the man. She instead focused all her attention on the blonde and in trying to decide if any of the blood on her face was actually hers. She ran her fingers against Emma's scalp, feeling for wounds.

"She is uninjured." She called up to Tink who was walking around the camp, hands in the air. Pink puffs were flying from her palms every few steps. She was putting up a barrier.

"Good. Lets get all that blood off of her. Boys?" she turned to look at the original trio. When she saw they were looking at her as well she finished. "Do you think you can clean up Anton? I will heal his wounds as soon as I finish here."

"Aye." Hook piped up as the other nodded.

Mulan was far beyond the camp. She listened closely to everything around her. The wind carried with it the cries of wounded villagers and the screams of their attackers. She held her composure and focused on the sounds, gauging their distance. Quickly she made her way back to camp, weaving in and out of the trees, not displacing a single leaf along the way.

"We have many fifty more screechers coming up on our left, less than a half a day away." She said to no one in general. "We will have to go down into the tunnels tonight. The trees aren't going to be safe enough, even with the barrier."

Belle had managed to get most of the blood off Emma and the boys had Anton cleaned up nicely. Tink was just finishing up on his head wound when Hook started carrying on, still sitting at the base of the tree.

"Well, you heard the lass." Hook called, a little louder than necessary. "To the caves." He stood up, swaying slightly as he tucked his flask into his vest. He took off walking before anyone even noticed that he was moving.

Anton stood on his own, wincing a little but he started forward with no help from Jon. Belle and Tink were about to pick Emma up when Robin stopped them. "Let me. You wonderful ladies have done beautifully today, save your strength." He smiled warmly. "You may need it."

Belle was about to reject his offer when Tink caught her attention. Her dark blue eyes told of a worn woman. Belle simply nodded and let Robin take the blonde.

The girls followed up the rear of the group, Mulan followed in behind Tink. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. Trying not to sound too concerned.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." She smiled weakly.

The gentle swaying of Robin's steps woke Emma from her coma like state. At first her sight was blurry, all she could see was the deep greens of the trees around her. She flopped her face up, heavily and was met with the unshaven jaw of the man who held her in his arms. Instantly, she flipped over, falling from his grasp on onto the ground with a yelp.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled as he reached down to her.

"I was uh… carrying you, Miss." He looked slightly taken back by her tone.

"Get away from me!" She yelled as she crawled backwards.

"Emma. Hold on!" Belle cried as she ran to the blonde's side.

Looking up into the woman's soft face, Emma gasped. "You! Where is Henry?!"

"Calm down Emma. We can talk about that and the plan when we get to a safe place."

"A safe place?" Emma looked around with wide eyes. "Where am I?"

The group had filled a circle around the dazed woman. "You're in the Enchanted Forest, Luv." Hook grinned down at her.

"Hook." She stared into his eyes as Belle helped her to her feet.

"Ello." He reached out to her gingerly.

"Oh no you don't" Tink said stepping in between them.

"Tink?" Emma asked shaking her head."I must be dreaming." She looked around from face to face. A fuzzy feeling started in her stomach. "Where is the queen?"

"Which Queen?" Mulan asked from behind Hook as she made her way to the group.

"Mulan? Oh god. You're all here." She shook her head again and looked down, closing her eyes. She was searching her mind for the woman she needed's face. "The queen that comes to me." She sighed.

"Comes to you?" Hook looked at her, clearly puzzled.

"In my sleep… I mean not always. She shows up randomly… she was there when Neal…" She stopped, seeing the look of pure wonder growing on Hook's face.

"Neal, you say?" He looked to Tink who wore a similar expression.

"Yea, Neal. You know him?"

"Of course we know him." Mulan said with a stone face.

"He disappeared a few weeks ago. We thought he died." Belle followed.

"Well, I assure you he came to me. Yesterday maybe? Or today. I'm not really sure."

"Good to know the chap is well." Hook recovered from his confused state and smiled at no one in particular.

"Now, where is the Queen?" Coming back around to her original thought.

"The white Queen and her troops are at the stronghold, three nights from here." Robin replied.

"Not her." Emma said flatly.

"Are you asking about the Red Queen?" Hook spun around to look her in the eye. "The Red Queen comes to you?"

"I suppose. She doesn't seem red… I mean, if I had to put a color to her… Purple comes to mind… purple smoke."

"Interesting." Hook said, suddenly looking deep in thought.

"We have to go." Mulan spoke, looking around. "The sun will be down soon and then they will have the upper hand.

"Who is "they"?" Emma questioned as she fell into the traveling line.

"Beasts. Fling beasts." Anton whispered, wincing at his own words. He was obviously a lover, not a fighter.

At that, Emma was silent. She followed the group, Belle and Tink flanking her sides. For a while, they walked in complete silence. Taking it all in, Emma's brain hurt. She was pretty sure that she was dreaming. _This is crazy. Emma, you have to pull yourself together. This is not real._ Her eyes focused on Belle's face. then it hit her. "Okay so, this is going to sound crazy but, I have seen you in my dreams." She whispered in Belle's direction.

"Oh? Tell me about these dreams."

As Emma explained both of the dreams she could ever remember having, aside from the drug induced one, she watched as Belle's face splotched with color. "Those weren't dreams, Emma." She said slowly, looking into her green, dreamy eyes. "Those weren't dreams at all, they are memories, memories from the day we were all sent back here and you were set free with Henry."

Emma blinked at the woman and then turned away, staring at the ground ahead of her. In silence, they walked the rest of the way to the cave. Once there, they settled down for the night, Mulan and Robin taking first watch. For some reason, Emma felt particularly close to Belle, like she knew her somehow. Emma picked a spot on the rocky ground, close to the woman.

"Now, Henry..." Emma began.

"Well, from what we have been told, Henry was kidnapped from your world by a desperate man. He in in route to the Wicked one now. We will know when her arrives. We have scouts watching the roads in." Belle explained.

"Then what?"

"Well, the plan is to meet up with the Royal Army and storm the castle that the Witch commands."

"And then what? we fight some shit and take Henry?" Emma blinked.

"Well, Your father and more of our allies have been captured, David has been assigned a death-date, as it were, and we have to get them out too."

"So, this is going to be a giant rescue mission... how many people are helping us?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. We will know more when we reach the stronghold."

Emma grunted in understanding and closed her eyes. She willed herself to dream, to dream of the queen she so needed to see, there were questions that needed to be addressed that only that woman could answer. She conjured up the mysterious woman's smiling face, behind her eyelids and prayed to sleep, sleep that never came.

Emma watched the fire cast dancing shadows on the walls around her for a bit, giving up on sleep. She was awake through all of Mulan and Robin's shift, as they returned into the cave, Emma sat up. "Are you okay, Miss?" Robin whispered, noticing her immediately.

"I want to stand watch" She said, searching his unchanging features.

"It's Killian and Jon's watch next."

"Let me stand watch with Hook. I can't sleep anyway." She started at him, demandingly.

For a moment, Robin was silent with thought. "Very well, Miss." He said as he walked over to the crumbled lump of leather that was Hook, sleeping. Robin nudged the man with his boot. "Come on, Pirate, you have watch with the lady."

At that, Hook sat up. "What lady would that be, Sir Robin?" He looked around seeing that Emma was also sitting up. "Ah. Miss Swan." He smiled as he lazily got to his feet.

Before Hook could get very far, Robin had grabbed his elbow. "Don't get any ideas, Pirate. I only need one reason to sink an arrow into your heart." He whispered.

"Aye." Hook shook from the man's grasp and made his way to the mouth of the cave.

"Miss Swan." He nodded.

"I need to talk to you." She replied quickly.

"Ah, talk away, luv. I am all ears."

"Why did you kiss me?"

His cheeks grew pink at her bluntness and he was instantly grateful for the cover of darkness as he lowered himself onto a rock. Clearing his throat, he stared forward, not meeting the blonde's gaze. "True love."

"What? True love?"

"Aye, true love."

"Care to go a little further in the details, buddy?"

"Emma." He sighed. "In Neverland, we shared a kiss. We thought Neal had been killed, you were in mourning. It was a dastardly thing for me to do but we shared a kiss and to me…." He turned to her. "For me, it wasn't just a kiss. I have loved two people in my life," he took a deep breath. "My dear sweet Milah and you." Turning away he finished. "I thought you felt the same and it was worth a try."

"I'm sorry but why would it matter, I don't remember you."

"True love knows no boundaries, it can break any curse. I wanted to help you remember."

"Thank explains why Neal threw himself at me too." She laughed. "His ass should have known better."

At that, Hook smiled to himself and stared out into the night. If neither he nor Neal were Emma's true love, this was going to make for an interesting adventure.

"So, why the interest in the Evil... Sorry, Red Queen?" He asked breaking the silence.

"She just keeps showing up. I'm not really sure. I feel comfortable enough around her but I don't know who she is, mostly it's just creepy."

"You must mean a lot to her." He said not breaking his staring contest with the darkness.

"Whys that?"

"Because the Queen is of the magical variety, she can travel through realms, in a sort..."

"Ooookay, and?"

"My lady, if you would so kindly let me finish." He turned to face her once more.

"Sorry. Go on."

"As I was saying, she can travel through realms but not wholly. She can tap into anything with a reflection, she can see through the other side, communicate that way."

"No, she shows up, in serious theatrics, like smoke and shit." She started at him.

"Again." He snapped. "As I was saying, in some cases she can project her likeness across the realms, but it would take a great deal of energy for her to accomplish that. She may even have to be sleeping via magic to do it. I don't really know the technicalities of it, as I have no magic." He paused, waiting for an interruption. When it didn't come, he continued. "If she comes to you in your sleep then that is different. She has the ability in invade sleeping minds but the same as physical projections, it takes a lot of energy. Potentially it could cause her to be drained of her magic or even killed. It's quite dangerous, you see."

"Why does she come to me, then?" Emma asked after a long, considering silence.

"Many reasons, I imagine its probably because you are the savior though, the savior of something, at least."

"But why do I have those dreams… er… memories."

"Lass, I don't have all the answers. You will have to ask her."

"When will I…"

"Who knows when she will show herself, she loves to surprise."

Emma just nodded at stared out into the trees. Her mind was working overtime but she figured that as soon as she could see this Queen, she could have her memories back, if she had actually lost them in the first place, and then it would all make sense. She tried to keep an open mind. _If this is a dream, at least it is an interesting one._They sat in silence for hours, just watching the nothingness and listening to the wind blow in the trees. Jon and Tink relieved them of their post just before the skyline began to lighten. As they made their way back to their spots on the stones, Emma pulled Hook by the hand. He turned around and was met with an unexpected and quick embrace. Tink was staring at them intently, ready to sick Jon on Hook for further inappropriate actions toward the princess. Quickly though, she noticed the look on her partner's face, the shock in his eyes. She dismissed the observed interactions as nothing important as she ducked outside.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anything for you, Luv." He smiled and pulled away, ignoring the pain in his ever breaking heart. He threw himself onto his designated slab and closed his eye. "Anything for you."

**Hello, Hello. Thank you for your continued support! I love, love, love your feedback! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope I cleared up the questions some of you had. If your questions or concerns weren't addressed here, they will most definitely be taken care of next go round. The next chapter may be a day late, just so you all know. Have a happy and safe New Years. =) **

**-DR **


	7. Chapter 7

Emma woke before she even knew she had dosed off. There was a short man with a white beard and wire rimmed glasses talking to Robin at the mouth of the cave. She could hear the panic in the little man's voice but she couldn't make out the words. She sat up and realized that she was the only one still on the ground. She found Belle in the group of people gathered in the far side of the cave. There were many people whom she hadn't seen with them the night before.

"Whats going on?" She asked grabbing Belle's arm.

"The white Queen's strong hold has been broken." She said softly, looking grim. "…and there are screechers closing in fast. They caught our trail last night, they are close now."

"Oh great, what are we gonna to do now?

"Fight, lass. We are going to fight." Hook grinned wildly.

Emma was about to start questioning when her attention was caught by a small boy tucked behind Jon's leg.

"That's my son, Roland" Robin said, as if he read her mind. "I left him with some of my men before we took off in search of you." He looked down at his boots. "My men have fallen, the dwarfs, our scouts brought him here this morning after the attacks."

Emma looked horrified. "Im so sorry." Was all she could muster.

"Alright warriors, the screechers are closing in fast." Robin started loudly. Everyone's eyes were on him as he turned to address the whole. "We will stand in ranks, we have but three archers left." He looked to Mulan and Jon. "We three will take the sides. Know your positions. Hook, you and Belle are our swordsmen." He looked to Belle who nodded in approval. "You are the best here. Dwarfs, fill in behind them. Let your axes be your weapons. Tink, you will shield, your magic will be useful. Anton, you will fall in the rear, your strength will protect the Miss and my boy. Anyone else, arm yourself and stand firm. Do not falter, my friends. The future of our land is at stake." Robin stared into the eyes of his band and turned away, walking to the mouth of the cave.

Emma ran after him, her heart pumped wildly in her chest. "Robin, wait." She called out. He turned to her with a gentle smile.

"Don't worry Miss, we will protect you."

"No, I want to fight." She said louder than she expected.

Everyone had heard her and now she was on centre stage. "You are too important to lose. You have to stay here."

At that she shook her head as the tears swelled in her eyes. "No, I will not stand by and be guarded. I can fight. My kid is out there somewhere, with some psycho." She gasped, turning around to the people inside the cave. "I'll be damned if I stand by like some helpless princess while you all risk your lives. Every one of you is important, no one is too unimportant to lose, here. I WILL fight by your sides." She yelled like a general rallying their troops. "You have no idea what I am capable of!"

At that, everyone cheered and a dwarf shouted "There is the Emma we know!"

Robin stood in shock as he watched Mulan drew her sword and turn the hilt around to the blonde. "Use it as an extension of your heart." She said as she placed it in Emma's hand turned to Robin. "She will fight." Mulan said firmly.

"Have you wielded a sword, Miss?"

"Not that I remember but hey, maybe it's like riding a bike."

Belle snorted and put her arm around Emma's shoulder. "Don't worry, she is a Charming." She stated with a toothy grin.

Before anyone else could say a word, an earsplitting screech echoed through the cave.

"To your ranks, my friends! Stay strong!" Robin shouted as he, Mulan, and Jon darted from the cave, arrows drawn.

Emma, Belle and Hook followed shoulder to shoulder. The light of the morning hit Emma's eyes like saltwater. Shaking her head, she looked around her, squinting harshly. She had no idea what she was about to face. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flying monkey coming at them full speed. She pulled back her sword and cut the creature down. Unphased by her actions she turned to her partners.

"That a girl." Hook yelled as he took down his own attacker.

There was a swarm of the creatures flying around the group. One by one the creatures fell with the hiss of the archer's arrows. There were screams from creatures and man alike. Blood and fur quickly covered the earth where they fought. Bodies of the dead animals littered the ground like flies.

Emma, Hook and Belle stood back to back, protecting each other and themselves from the onslaught. Hook's sword was just as effective as his hook. He peeled the corpse of a screecher off of his metal hand with his boot, while stabbing at another on the ground. It felt like hours since the attack began, Emma's arms were sore and she could hardly breathe. Belle continued to slaughter enemy upon enemy as she broke away from her partners. She was ruthless, fearless, in the way she handled her sword.

Dwarfs were all around the trio, cracking the creatures with the blades of their pick axes. They weren't quickly worn but they were seriously out numbered. Tink stood behind the group, at the mouth of the cave, hands high in the air. Her charm covered little ground but she held fast.

It was not enough. There were too many screechers to hold off. They just kept coming in giant, dark, buzzing clouds. The dwarfs had fallen back into the mouth of the cave, cutting down anything that came close enough to strike. Jon, taking on three creatures at a time, stumbled backward off the top of the cave and fell hard on the ground below. He was pulled into the cave by the dwarfs and little Roland took up his bow. Standing between two dwarfs he fired perfectly into his targets. Anton stood behind the line, watching with tear-filled eyes.

Out of arrows, Robin took up his sword. He took a blade-like tail to the shoulder almost as soon as he left his post. Still, he fought on, blood pooling on his sleeve. Mulan was quickly being overpowered and she too moved down to where the swords where swinging. She popped off the creature that hug buried in Robin's back and ripped it from the man's flesh. He went white with pain as she pushed him behind her and into the cave, she couldn't risk him dying. Emma, Belle and Hook continued their relentless cutting.

"They have all fallen back, we are all that is left to fight." Hook called to his companions.

It didn't slow them. As another wave of creatures flew in, Emma charged forward and spun in a circle, taking down everything in her path. Belle was the first to join her side. She too swung wildly, smashing multiple attackers.

As Hook joined in, an arrow buzzed right past him and into the chest of a creature that had come up behind him. Looking up onto the hillside he saw his savior. Snow white and a handful of people came barreling down the hillside to take up arms against the flying monkeys. Swords bit into fur clad flesh and craws destroyed human skin. Emma stood shocked as she witnessed two blonde women running down the hill, unarmed and one with a child in her arms. Emma ran to the defenseless woman and cut down their winged followers.

"Go to the cave, you'll be safe there!" Emma called to the women over the chaos. One nodded as they ran for their lives, Emma in toe, protecting them.

Once the women were inside, Emma spun to face the battle once more. On the hill, something caught her eye. There was a flash of purple light as dozens of enemies fell from the sky. She focused on the source and found that she was staring at the queen, her queen. Lost in the moment, Emma soon found four sharp sets of claws digging into her neck and shoulders as she was carried off the ground. In the tussle, she dropped her sword to the dirt below her. Snow shot at the wings of the creatures, taking one down but another grabbed in its place. Emma grabbed hold of the paws holding her and a blinding light shot from her hands. She blinked, no longer feeling the claws in her skin. The creatures were falling and so was she. A purple light surrounded her, she was warm from the inside out. At impact, her world went black. The last sound she heard was the crunch of the landing.

Regina came running to Emma's side and launched a fireball into the oncoming cloud. "Someone come get her!" She screamed into the cave. It was Anton who appeared to scoop Emma to safety. Looking down at where he had just picked the blonde from, he saw a heap of leather. She had landed on Hook. He grabbed up the pirate in the same hand he held Emma in. He smashed a few monkeys, like bugs, with his bare fist as he returned into the cave. He handed Emma off to the dwarfs and let Hook fall to the floor as he barreled out, back into the action. His eyes were shining with rage as he swatted the animals right out of the air. Regina continued to launch fireballs into the clouds of incoming enemies. She was growing tired. Snow, on higher ground, fired arrow after arrow down into the attackers but she was quickly running out of projectiles. Belle could barely hold her sword, she fell back to breathe. Neal fought alongside the grey and black wolf that Emma had met before. Neal knocked the creatures to the ground and Red delivered the death blow. A red haired woman wielded a trident alongside a man clad in golden armor and a black headed prince in royal suit. A blonde man in a bloodstained silver vest fought close behind the trio as they came running down the hill to meet up with their people. They were too few and were being taken over, quickly.

A swirl of smoke appeared opposite Regina, catching her off guard. She was about to launch a hex into the cloud when she realized who it belonged to. The man, giggled shrilly at Regina's shock. Her face was twisted in confusion for a split second before he spoke. "Come, come, Dearie. You know the spell. Together." He called.

They lifted their arms in unison and Regina closed her eyes. A massive wave was sent through the creatures, dissolving everyone, mid-air. Her chest heaved as she bent over to regain herself. Looking up at the newly appeared man, she smiled weakly and waved him to the cave.

Cheers erupted as the two joined their allies. Regina look as if she were going to be sick but her reaction was nothing compared to the look on Belle's face when she looked up, exhaustively into Rumple's face.

"How did you?" She cried out, jumping to her feet and crumbling into the man's arms.

"I'll explain it all when we are safe." He quickly turned to the others, holding Belle to his chest. "Listen up, Dearies. We have to go. Now. Everyone hold hands. Someone grab Miss Swan, and do grab that disgusting sea slime, we can't forget about him. Everyone must hold on to each other. This may sting a little." Again, the shill laugh came pouring out of the man. There was a loud pop as they were torn from the cave and thrown in the middle of a meadow.

"This is David's farm." Snow called to the people as she made it to her feet. "Everyone inside, we will tend to our wounded, fill our stomachs and discuss further plans." She ushered the group up to the house.

Slowly, the group filed in. Limping, unconscious or seriously injured, many had to be dragged by friends, other had to be carried all together. Snow looked harshly into Regina's face as she realized that the woman had her daughter in her arms. "Lay her on the cot." Was all Snow said, refocusing herself to the line of people moving in her direction. She smiled a little when she saw that Anton was half carrying Jon with one arm and dragging Hook in the other.

Regina made her way past the dwarfs who had been the first ones inside. They nodded as she passed, not meeting her gaze. Looking around the room, she saw the cot. Making her way to it, Regina nearly crashed into Belle who was still a sobbing mess. A manly shout reached her ears and she turned to see Neal embracing his father, lovingly. Gently, Emma was set onto the flat. Her head lulled to the side, facing Regina. She reached out a shaking hand and swept the matted blonde hair from Emma's face. She sat on the floor next to her and took the blonde's cold hand in her own, trying to mask the way her heart screamed out to the blonde. She wiped the concern from her face and wore features of stone. Still, she gently ran her thumb across the back of Emma's hand.

The Queen's attention was pulled from the woman when Rumple hoisted Snow onto the table in the middle of the room. All the chatter and groans of the people were muted, instantly. Snow turned to her people. "We fought hard today." She started, scanning the room. "My army was hit hard, in the early hours of this morning. We lost all who are not standing in this room." She paused and bowed her head. "They died fighting for our homes, our futures. They will not have died in vain." Pulling in a deep breath, she looked to Regina who sat in the floor on the far wall of the room, still clutching Emma's hand. "I want to thank Regina, publicly, for her aid in this war. She has brought to us, our princess, my daughter. She guarded me with her life as the attackers cut down our warriors."

Regina waved a hand to dismiss Snow's speech. She was no hero and she knew that. Moving on, Snow thanked Robin and Mulan for their leadership and loyalty. She then turned to Rumple who sat below her, Belle and Neal in his arms. "Tell us, Rumplestiltskin, how Is it that you are here with us now? Many of us saw you sacrifice yourself to defeat your father, Peter Pan."

He stood up addressing the room, and settled his eyes on Regina and Emma with a knowing smile before looking down to his family. "Ah, Ah, Ah, Dearies. The Dark One cannot take his own life. If that were a possibility, Zoso, the last, wouldn't have tricked me into being his death." He paused to take in the gasps from around the room. "The dagger has to be wielded by flesh and blood, the magic cannot just vanish. Therefore the holder is for all intensive purposes, immortal to everything save another being controlling his dagger. I figured that out after I tried to kill myself and Pan, might I add." He finished, waving his hand in a grand gesture. "And that, Dearies, is how I stand before you, very much alive." Belle looked like she might pass out from the knowledge as she stared up into his face. She was pale and she visibly trembled at his voice.

With his trademark cackle, He started again. "Now, on to more pressing concerns… I know you must all be wondering how we will be able to claim our _Dearest Charming_ and our friendsfrom the clutches of this wicked enemy." He looked around. "Well, I'm going to tell you how." He paused again, purely for the dramatics. Pointing a twirling finger in the air he spoke. "We will stay here tonight and tomorrow. Regina, Green and I will put up wards around the property and we will cloak the area, making everyone here, invisible to intruders. The morning of the following day, we will take up our healthy and march on the castle. As it is _my_ castle the idiot commandeered, I can get us in undetected. This whole journey may take up to a week, if all goes well." He looked back to Regina. "As much as I would love to see the dear king returned to his people, I have a more important mission." There was silence as he spoke. "My grandson will soon be in that castle, and he is my number one priority. That being said, I will help you all free your loved ones, only after Henry is safe." He waved his hands in a final closing and took his seat.

"Alright." Snow called. "How many of you can fight?" Hands and shouts from willing fighters filled the air. "Belle, sweetheart, would you write the names as I call them?" Belle nodded as Rumple pulled a quill and parchment from the air. "Lovely." Snow added.

Looking out over her people she spoke. "When I call your name, Belle will add you to the list and I want you to move accordingly to the group I assign you to." She paused. "First, we will need leaders. Robin, Mulan, Rumple and I will lead small groups. You will take orders from the leader you're assigned to." Rumple stood and moved to the far wall beside the silent Regina. Mulan and Robin split, heading for opposite sides of the room. "Leroy, you are with me. Joining you I will have Sneezy, and Prince Thomas for now." She looked down to Belle who nodded as she moved on to the next group. "Mulan will command Doc, Belle and her Prince Eric. Robin will have Ariel, Tink and Anton." She finished. The room was quickly separating into groups and leaving those not assigned to stand in the center of the room. "Alright, Jon cannot fight. I say we leave the children under his watch. Abigail, you can join him." At that, Thomas piped up. "Neither is fit to defend this fort, my queen, allow me to stay and protect them."

"I will take his place in your line." Fredrick called, holding Abigail's hand.

"Very well. Off to the side with you. Who is left? Ah. Dopey, you are with me as well. Ella, you are with Robin, I hear you are good with a slingshot. Neal, Ruby, Regina and if Hook lives through the night… you will be under Gold. Bashful, take up with Mulan"

"What about Miss Swan?" Rumple asked.

"She will stay here. We can't risk it."

For the first time, Regina stood and looked Snow in the eyes. "Do you honestly believe that Emma will stay here once she has awakened and learned of the plan? If you believe she will stay put like an obedient pup, then you have learned nothing from our years in Maine. I will wake her, she will come with us." She said firmly.

"If she is going to be anywhere, it is going to be with me." The short haired queen swelled.

"I think not on that request, Dearie." The smooth haired man piped in. "You will die trying to keep her from confrontation. You saw her out there on the field, Snow, she can handle herself."

"We can't risk losing our Queen." Belle said softly.

After a deep, considering breath, Snow nodded. "Wake her. But, Regina, if she doesn't have her memory back by tomorrow at sun down, we will bind her and leave her in Abigail's care. Also... I feel as if I am forgetting someone…" she scanned the silent room. A soft snoring came from under the table she stood on.

Belle giggled as she peaked to see who it was. "Sleepy." Belle said.

"He will get us killed. He can stay here. Is there anyone else?"

Silence answered her question. She nodded and stepped off the table, making her way to Regina, her face burned brighter the closer she got to the woman. She could hear Rumple telling the people that food would be served soon and that they should rest until then, from beside her.

Without greeting, Snow let her mouth take over her brain as her words rained down on Regina. "I don't have the slightest idea of what is going on here or what you are up to Regina, but if something happens to Emma, I will come after you and you will not make it far." Her eyes burned threateningly into the brown ones in front of her.

"You are such a child, Snow White. I won't let harm fall on Emma. You can be sure of that. You're threats are worthless. You wouldn't stand two seconds in front of me as an enemy. The last time you only survived by winning the heart of my huntsman and running. You have nowhere to run now, idiot girl." She breathed heavy, returning Snow's glares. "I am here to help this family, to protect the ones I _love_. Keep your threats to yourself because you wouldn't stand a chance." She hissed.

"Ladies, do I need to pit you into the yard and take bets on the loser?" Rumple whispered between them. When the tension didn't falter, he turned to Snow directly. " Now, Dearie, we all know who would win that battle."

Regina was the first to walk away. She glided across the room, she did not slow at the door. She walked out into the yard and stood starting up at the hazy sunset. She did not move when she heard someone walk up behind her. "What was that all about?" Belle asked, putting her hand on Regina's arm.

"It was nothing. Don't worry yourself dear."

"Regina, you can talk to me. We are friends."

"I know. Just let this one go okay? You should eat something, I'm sure you're hungry. I saw you fighting today and I dare say that I would easily lose a duel to you." She turned with a half turned smile.

"Charming taught me a bit when we first landed back here. Then when we separated, Mulan taught me more."

"It shows. Do me a favor?"

"Anything you need."

"When you return, to the cabin… can you send me Rumple?"

"Of course , Regina." She said, as she turned to leave.

"Really Belle, I'm fine. I promise." She called to the woman's retreating back.

"I know." Is all she said before disappearing through the door.

Regina continued to stare at the sky as the sun receded behind the hill in front of her. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes. Focusing her energy she let herself be pulled in to a dreamlike state. The world around her was silent as she fell deeper into the darkness. Opening her eyes, Regina saw Emma standing beside Henry. She was having her final moment with Snow before she would leave for her new, made up life. Emma looked up and met Regina's eyes. Taking it as a sign, Regina approached her.

"Can you hear me?" She spoke softly.

Emma nodded as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Good, now listen to me." She took Emma's hand. "Do you know my name?"

"No." she said shaking her head. "But I know you."

"Correct, Miss Swan. You know me quite well." The brunette smiled. "Soon, you will meet me again. This time you will be awake and I will be there, really there." Regina paused and looked back to see the green cloud approaching quickly. Realizing she was running out of time, she skipped ahead to the important parts. "You will awaken in the Enchanted Forest, in fairy tale land. I need you to just trust me and do as I ask of you. Can you do that for me, Emma?"

Looking up into the serious face and dark golden brown eyes of the woman talking to her, Emma nodded. "I do trust you." She whispered.

"Beautiful. Now go, take Henry and go." She said. She stood and watched Emma take the boy to her car before she took a deep breath. A hand on her shoulder suddenly pulled her from Emma's dream.

"Are you okay, Dearie? The man asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes, Gold. I need a potion, to bring Emma back her memories." She stared him in the face. "Do you have anything left from when you awoke Lacey?"

"I do." He smiled as he pulled a blue liquid from the air between them.

"What will this cost me?" she asked before even touching the vial.

"Just get our boy back, Regina. We are family, the time for deals has passed."

**Thank you for reading! I feel like the next few chapters are going to be equally, if not more action packed. I see a death in our future. Stay tuned. As always, reviews welcome. -DR**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapters 8 and 9 were originally one chapter. I got a bit carried away. I separated them out for easier flow. Happy reading. -DR**

Emma stood at the town line, yet again. Her dreams were on repeat, playing over and over in her mind. She knew one was different, that she spoke to the woman. She wondered how many times the dream would play before she could wake up. The current cycle was another silent film playing, as was the one before it. Suddenly, she heard a soft humming. She stood perfectly still and focused on the sound. As it grew louder, the sound turned to words but they were fuzzy, she couldn't quite make them out.

Looking around, Emma noticed that nothing had changed in her dream. There was no one out of place and no one speaking at that point. It was their time of departure but instead of driving away, as usual, she sat in her car. Henry was no longer there next to her. After the cloud engulfed the fighting Regina and the rest of the town's people, Emma got out and strained to hear. She had never made it to this part of her dream before. She always just drove off obediently. Looking around, she noticed that the road back to Storybrooke hadn't changed but it felt empty to her. She couldn't remember what was there. She was pulled out of focus by a sound.

She realized that what she was hearing was her name being called. It was not the woman's voice that she was familiar with. This voice was softer, almost motherly.

"Emma. Wake up, honey." The voice called. Still Emma couldn't wake. After what felt like an eternity of the foreign voice echoing all around her, she was pulled out of her dream by another voice. A voice she knew.

"Emma. Come on." The voice whispered softly.

Opening her eyes, Emma was forced to stare yet again into those same beautiful brown eyes. As she became more aware, she noticed the people gathered around her, they were dressed differently and some she had met before but she had seen them all. She studied their faces, trying to place them only to realize that they were all in her dream.

"I dream about you all. You're all there." She said, sitting up. She winced a little and pulled her arm to her chest, hiding her pain.

"As you can see Dorothy, you are no longer in Boston." The woman laughed.

"I'm not Dorothy." The blonde replied confused.

Emma stared into the woman's soft face, though she was not looking back at Emma but instead, at a short haired woman, Emma watched on. It was like she was hypnotized by Regina, she just couldn't look away. Snow focused on Emma and she could see the flicker of something in her daughter's eyes but she couldn't place it. Following Emma's gaze, she flushed when her eyes met the focal point. Regina looked down at the blonde, noticing that her gazing hadn't subsided.

"Miss Swan, do you remember our talk?" She asked calmly even though she was fighting back a blush.

"Uh… yea."

"Do you remember my name?"

Emma shook her head. Almost immediately, she was regretting her movement. Her head began to spin again. She fell back against the mattress and closed her throbbing eyes.

"No, no. Emma, don't close your eyes. Stay with me, Honey." Snow said softy, the worry in her voice was obvious as she scooted Regina away from her daughter. She placed a pale hand on the blonde's forehead. "She is burning up." She whispered, shaking.

"She did take a nasty fall. Did you check for broken bones?" Belle asked coming up behind the standing women.

"I didn't even think to…" Snow's voice trailed off. She looked away, realizing that she had little to no motherly instincts.

"Gold?" Regina called. She had held her hand out over Emma, nothing happened.

"Why do you still call me that, Dearie?" He said in her ear, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

Regina jumped a little and turned to face him. "It's just easier." She stated calmly. "Is there a problem?"

"No, perfectly well. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it would seem…" she dropped her voice to a whisper. "That my magic is a little tired." She saw a flash of surprise in his yellowing eyes. "Would you mind doing a scan on Miss Swan, I fear she may have broken something in the fall. She seems feverish."

"Certainly." He gave the woman an understanding smile as he turned to move Snow from his path.

His hands hovered over the Blonde's face and slowly moved them down the length of her body. A yellow glow was left in his wake. "Her arm is broken and she has some fractures here and there." He said nonchalantly.

"Can you do…" Snow's panicked voice was cut off when Rumple threw his hand in the air.

"Really, Dearie?"

He mimicked his actions from before and produced a layer of pink haze over her body. "That will do for the injury. The infection, however…" he looked past Snow and made eye contact with Regina. "That will take a bit more."

She nodded in response as he pulled a clear vile from his extravagant, golden robe. He shook it in front of Snow's color-deprived face. The motion turned the green liquid a shade of brown and as it settled, it turned a brilliant red. "This will do." He smiled.

Snow took the container from him and uncorked it, moving to Emma's head. She tilted her daughter's head back, putting the glass to her parted lips. She allowed the liquid to flow into her mouth and down her throat before retreating. Emma remained motionless.

"How long?" Snow asked, returning the empty vial to the man.

"Haven't got a clue… hours? Maybe days." He replied.

With a sigh, the pixie haired queen left the room. She couldn't stand there holding her breath. "There are rooms in the back, Gold made beds for you all." She called to the group still sitting around in the main room. A few of the people made their way to the back of the house while others remained sitting. Snow retreated to a small room in the back of the house, away from everyone. She desperately needed time to herself. Tears ran solidly down her face as she curled into a ball on a makeshift skid. "I'm coming, David." She whispered as she fell asleep.

Everyone settled down for the night. Mulan and Robin had given up their beds so that Anton could sleep comfortably on them both. They instead took up residence in the main room. Robin slept on top of the table Snow gave her speech on. Young Roland slept soundly on his chest. Mulan sat in a chair by the front door and drifted off. She would be the first obstacle met by any possible intruders and knowing that was the only way she could sleep. Jon was still where he dropped upon entering the house, sprawled in the middle of the floor. Rumple and Belle slept in a cot, in the room shared by all the dwarfs, Neal, Abigail and Fredrick, Ariel and Eric, and Hook's still unconscious body. Red was outside, scouting the area with Tink, it was the wolf's last night on all fours so she put it to good use.

Emma was still sound asleep on the cot on the far wall of the main room. Next to her, on nothing but the hard ground, was Regina. She had refused to leave the girl's side, claiming that it was important for her to stay there in case the blonde woke. It was the truth but not the way the others had understood it- It wasn't so much important in general, as it was important to Regina. She needed so desperately for Emma to remember who she was. Regina told herself that it was because they needed to rescue Henry and the others but deep in her heart she knew it was for a different reason. She saw the look in Emma's eyes, the way the blonde gazed at her. Regina had to know if the signs were true, if Emma felt the same as Regina herself, felt. So she waited, on the ground, for her princess to stir.

Just before dawn, Emma woke on her own. She stared up into the darkness and rubbed her face with her palm. "What a crazy dream." She said to the air. Turning to see what time it was, she soon realized that her clock was gone. Groping around at where her table should have been, she was met with only empty space. "Well, that is strange."

She sat up, blinded by the darkness. Deciding she needed to find the light switch, she swung her feet off of the cot. She stood, her hands searched for anything solid. Taking a step forward, her foot caught and she fell hard, face first. Regina woke with a start as foreign weight suddenly came crashing down on top of her abdomen. The impact left a huge boom to echoed through the house.

"Damn it." Emma yelled, feeling around at what she had landed on. Regina was silent, she couldn't catch her breath long enough to speak. Her chest heaved under Emma's body, fighting for air. As Emma felt around, she came in contact with the unmistakable warmth of skin under her fingers. Her whole body flushed as she realized she was on top of someone.

"Jesus, I am so sorry, are you okay?" She asked, pushing herself up off of Regina, who she still could not physically see.

As Emma pushed her weight onto her hands, Regina's breath was returned. She wore an awful smirk across her face, masked by the darkness as she whispered. "I am fine, Miss Swan. At least I was here to catch you this time."

Instantly, Emma knew who she was on top of and she groaned with embarrassment. "What… um… what are you doing down here?" She still dangled over Regina's body, afraid if she moved she would hit someone else in the process.

"I fell asleep down here, waiting for you to wake again."

"Hmm." She made to move off of the woman under her when a light shown at the other side of the room.

Mulan had darted from the door and took up a torch in search of the loud sound that had startled her awake. Her fire casted a glow over the ladies on the floor and her eyes grew wide. Emma had one hand next to the brunette's head and the other was pressed palm down into the woman's stomach as she tried to push herself away. When the light appeared, they both froze, not knowing what else to do.

Looking down at the now lit, obviously surprised face of the queen under her, Emma smiled big. "Well, this seems like a role reversal worth having." She whispered, thinking back to the times that she had woken up looking into Regina's eyes.

She rolled off of the queen and stretched out on the floor. Looking up at the light, she could see that it was Mulan holding it. "Sorry, I fell out of the bed and on to this woman. It really just wasn't what it looked like." She smiled nervously.

"Your preference is not my business, Emma. I will keep what I saw to myself." She said softly, to both women. Regina's relieved sigh was audible and Mulan smiled as she finished with a slight nod and walked away.

"That wasn't awkward." Emma chuckled.

"Snow is going to murder me."

"So, you're the Red Queen then?" Emma asked, extending her hand to the woman still on the floor.

"What? The Red Queen? No. I was the… A… Queen… long ago."

"Oh, okay." She pulled the woman off the floor and they made their way to the front door in silence.

As they passed Mulan, glances were exchanged but no one said anything. People were moving around the house as the sky slowly turned golden. Once outside, Emma looked around.

"Where are we?" She turned to Regina. The light hit the blonde's pinkish cheeks ever so softly, making them glow. Regina couldn't help but stare. She stood, blinking at the woman I front of her.

"Hello?" Emma tried again.

"I… Um… I'm sorry, what?" Her ears began to burn, realizing she was caught.

"Where are we?"

"Oh. We are on Charming's farm."

"Prince…. Charming?"

"King, technically, but it just flows terribly. I just stick with Charming." She paused, twisting her lips into a smile. "Or 'The Idiot', it just depends on the situation, I suppose."

"So, he is who exactly? I mean I get that he is the good guy and King or whatever but…"

"He is your father." Regina said looking out at the sunrise.

"Which would make…."

"Snow White, your mother." The brunette finished, without looking away from the brilliant colors of the sky.

"That's right Sister, Snow is your mother." A voice cut in.

Regina rolled her eyes, recognizing the voice. Emma turned and looked down. She was met with a short, balding man with a scraggily beard and big ears. He met her gaze and smiled a wide, mostly awkward grin.

"Private conversation, Dwarf." Regina spoke, turning to look down her nose at the man.

"Now Sister, I aint lookin for trouble." He backed up. "I was just comin to tell the princess that Snow wanted to see her."

Emma smiled at him. "And who are you?"

"I was Dreamy… And then I was Grumpy… but generally, I prefer Leroy."

"Hello, Leroy. Do me a favor, yea?"

"Anything." He smiled.

"Never refer to me as a princess again."

His mouth opened in argument but he quickly thought better of it. Nodding, he turned away, and then lightly shook his head.

"Well, well Miss Swan, that wasn't very charming of you." Regina said, obviously amused.

"Hey! Don't even… Do I look like a princess to you?!"

Regina was staring again, her caramel eyes focused on the blonde's full, pink lips. Noticing the silence, she brought her eyes up to the green one's that were obviously taking in the brunette's actions.

"Yes?" the queen started, but after seeing the blonde's eyebrows pulled inward. "Er, no. No." Regina stumbled on her words.

"You aren't even listening to me, Lady." Emma laughed at the woman's reaction.

"Shall we go? I have a potion for your memories." She said, ignoring Emma's statement.

Emma just laughed. She shook her head and turned to the cabin. She stood for a moment, looking at the queen. She threw her arm out in front of her and took a dramatic bow, smiling brightly. "After you, your majesty."

At that, Regina threw her head back and laughed. She then composed herself, looked to Emma and took her bow. "No, no, princess, I insist."

"Aren't you just hilarious." The blonde stomped past her up the path to the door.

"Quite." She whispered, opening the door. "After you."

Snow turned the corner just in time to see the couple engaged in a warm smile-exchange. Her ears glowed bright pink as she cleared her throat.

"Emma." She smiled as both women shot up at her.

"I didn't catch your name." Emma started.

"Mary Margret, Snow, Mom, whatever you want." She smiled lovingly.

The blonde blushed and turned to Regina. Her eyes were screaming for help, release from the awkward situation. Smiling deviously Regina stared into the green eyes she was faced with. She then turned to Snow, allowing her smile to fall flat. "I'll leave you to it." She turned briefly back to Emma, just to see the look on her face. Taking her leave, she went to the main room in search of Rumple.

"Do we have a plan B if this potion doesn't work?" The brunette asked the man leaking in the back corner of the room.

"Why wouldn't the potion work, Dearie?" He looked to her causally.

"Well, I have been thinking about it and Emma was sent outside the town line, her memories were not turned back to her Storybrooke life like the others…"Her voice trailed off as she stared at his unchanging face. "As she was never had false Storybrooke memories… Are you listening to me Gold?"

"Why of course, Regina."

"Her memories were replaced with completely false ones and Strookebrook is gone." She finished.

"I really don't know what you're getting at, Darling." He shook his head at her. Mouth open, Regina stared at him. He waved his hand dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I will look into other remedies, just in case."

"Thank you." She said flatly, walking away without another glance.

She headed to the kitchen, in search of the grub the dwarfs had made that morning.

"What is it?" she asked the little man in a purple cap.

"Its, um, oats, your majesty." He said staring down.

She scoffed at his awkwardness and grabbed a bowl. She had just lifted a ladle full of gooey oats when she heard raised voices. More importantly, Emma's voice. She turned and disappeared into a haze, leaving Dopey staring in silence.

"You're crazy, Lady. You need to back the hell up, you don't know me!" Emma yelled, pulling her arm away from her mother who was reaching yet again for her.

"Emma, please, just listen to me. I only want to help." Snow pleaded.

"If you want to help me then I suggest you give me some space and maybe not tell me how you think I should live my life." The blonde shot back.

Regina appeared unnoticed, behind Emma. She had heard the exchange and was very curious as to what sparked the disagreement.

"Honey, she is not good for you." Snow cried back.

"Who are you to tell me what is good for me?!" Emma's eyes were wide and her voice was shaking with raising anger.

"Emma, I am your... I just don't want you to get hurt."

Emma turned to storm off but she smacked head first into Regina. Looking up, the blonde's rage faltered slightly. Without a word, she turned her eyes away from her and walked past the woman, slightly brushing her shoulder with her own.

Regina looked up, disappointment in her eyes. Snow had turned away when Emma did, she didn't even know that Regina had been standing there. The pixie haired woman threw her hand in the air and turned to follow after her daughter but she was instead met with brown eyes, looking worried. Snow's face fell directly into a frown and her brows tightened in anger.

"You!" Snow rounded on Regina. "This is your fault!"

"Excuse me?" She stood up straight, pulling her shoulder back and pushing her chest forward. Her face had changed from worry to anger in the time Snow had taken to finished her sentence.

"She won't listen to me because of you, Regina."

"What could I have possibly done to make something like that my fault, she is your daughter. Stubborn."

"She… ugh!" She threw her hands up more dramatically than the last and she turned to walk away when Regina caught her.

"Snow wait, what is going in?"

"I don't know." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "She is a princess, one day she should find her prince charming."

"What are you getting at?"

"I see the way she looks at you…"

There was a long pause. Regina desperately searched the woman's face, not knowing how to feel about this subtle accusation. Snow White was all but bawling. Crossing her arms to her chest she let out the air she had been holding in her lungs for what felt like ages.

"I don't… ahem… I don't quite know what you're referring to, my dear, but I assure you, she doesn't look at me any differently than she does anyone here." Regina spoke, staring at the ground. She knew she was lying, she had noticed the looks too, but she couldn't tell Snow that.

"Right… Just go get Rumple and let's get her memories back."

Regina frowned in confusion. Shaking her head she asked "Why will getting her memories back help your worry?"

"Because she will remember who you are." Snow rounded on her, stone faced.

"Who I am?" She stood, hands on her hips waiting for a reply when it dawned on her. Her face dropped even further. She swallowed down the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "The Evil Queen."

"Exactly." Snow smiled as she practically bounced past the obviously hurt woman.

Regina remained glued in place. She saw the queen make her way back to the cabin, out of the corner of her eye. She took a long, shuddering breath. She felt like she has been punched in the stomach, repeatedly. Bending over, she wrapped her arms around herself and wept. "I'm not evil." She whispered to herself, tears flooding her face.

Mr. Gold had been standing next to the cabin, he had heard the last bit of the conversation, having stepped out after his chat with Regina. He stood shocked, watching the woman sob alone. He had never seen the woman so upset. Gathering up his courage, he headed in her direction. He walked up to her without a word. It was against his character to care about her feelings but he felt her pain. He too had been seen as evil. Without speaking, he put his hand on her shoulder.

She turned her wet face to meet his. She slowly put her forehead against his chest and sobbed even harder as he awkwardly brought an arm up around her. "There, there, Dearie. You aren't evil. She will see." He tightened his grip on her.

"I just… I have tried so hard."

"I know. I know." He whispered, stroking her hair with his free hand.

"I saved her life!" she wailed into his robe. "That goody goody bitch would be dead if not for me…" Her words turned back into sobs as she thought about saving Snow's life, on several occasions.

"When it is all said and done, Regina, Snow White's opinion won't matter. Emma does not think you as evil. She never knew you as the Evil Queen, you have always just been Regina." He said, pushing her back to look into her eyes. "Stop these tears. They won't make the hurt go away, Dearie."

"But she will remind Emma…." She started.

"No. Snow was upset. She will regret her words and Emma will remember them. Just let it go."

Regina broke his embrace and straightened herself, wiping the tears from her face. She smoothed out her vest and looked back to the man. "Thank you, Gold." She said emotionlessly. "I would appreciate if no one caught word of this little incident." Her tone was sharp.

"Understood, your majesty."

"No. Regina, just Regina." She said, giving him a smirk.

"As you wish… Regina." He smiled and gave her a grand bow as she strode past him. He felt her hand pat his shoulder as she walked away. At that, he smiled again.


	9. Chapter 9

**The last bit of this chapter is super fast paced so, be prepared. **

"Miss Swan, I will say that if you want your memories back, you must drink the potion." Gold said firmly, holding the vile out in front of her.

"That looks disgusting and suspiciously like poison. Aren't you the 'I'm taking your first born child', dude?" Emma stared at him.

"Indeed, If you believe the fairy tales. Just drink the damn potion, girl." He was obviously aggravated in the mention of his past.

"Emma, Rumple is a good guy. You have to trust him." Snow said softly.

"Don't touch me, elf-lady." She snapped, pulling away from the woman, obviously still upset from earlier. She looked up to see Regina smirking at the exchange. Brows furrowed, Emma snatched the container from the man's open palm. She uncorked it and tilted the top toward Regina, mimicking a toast. She downed it in one go.

Her chest glowed for a split second and then fizzled. Regina moved to stand by the blonde, who was obviously confused.

"Miss Swan?" Regina spoke.

Emma met the woman's eyes and pulled her lips to an over exaggerated frown. "Nope, I don't know your name." She said. "What is your name? I mean, they all call you the Red Queen but what _is_ your name."

"I really wish you idiots would stop calling me The Red Queen. Anastasia is The Red Queen and I can assure you that we are not in Wonderland." She spat. "And you will remember my name, with time." She whispered to Emma. She then turned and walked away, grabbing Mr. Gold and signaling for Snow on her way out.

"Now what?" Snow asked, almost in tears.

"We try something else." Regina said, staring at the other woman.

They both turned to Gold who was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to pull words together. "What breaks curses?" He asked to no one specifically.

"True love's kiss." Snow piped up, hopeful.

Regina honked out a laugh. "Apparently she doesn't have one of those. Both of her romances failed, or have you forgotten?"

The man smiled, knowingly at Regina who was seemingly oblivious, but snapped his features back to a passive state when Snow looked up at him. "Well, I'll talk to Tinkerbell and see what she thinks. In the mean time, try this." He removed another container from his pocket and handed it to Snow. "But be careful. This one comes with side effects. Violent ones." He smiled.

"Great." Regina groaned on. "She is aggressive enough as it is. Let's add some magical violence into the mix and see if we can't turn her into an ogre."

The short haired queen glared sideways at the offending woman but said nothing. She knew that her daughter wasn't exactly being a sweetheart. "Who can we get to, um?"

"Babysit her? You'll need more that a babysitter, more like restraints." Gold giggled as Snow's face turned from thoughtful to horrified.

"Aye. I can handle that." A pained voice shot willingly into the conversation.

The three turned in unison so see Hook standing in the door frame, still nursing his rib-cage.

"Damn, you're alive." Rumble grumbled, in a teasing manner.

Snow and Regina both spoke at the same time, a "No" from Snow's lips and a "Fine" from Regina. They stared combatively at each other for a moment.

"No offense, Captain but you don't look like you can stand by yourself, I doubt you'll be able to handle our Miss Swan." Rumble added, as the women continued to glare.

"Oi, Crocodile, let me be the judge of that, yea?" He flashed a charming smile. "I'll be fine, and if not, who's loss?"

All three looked from Hook back at each other. "Fine" came from all three of their mouths. They then stared at each other, awkwardly, in shock.

"I think the trio of you spend a bit too much time together." Hook said, smiling as he turned to leave. "You speak like an old married… well… trio, I suppose."

At that, Regina rolled her eyes and took her leave. Snow scoffed and crossed her arms, storming in the opposite direction. A toothy grin spread across Rumple's face as he shook his head slightly. "Women" he whispered in a chuckle.

That night, Snow snuck the potion into Emma's soup, not wanting another disagreement. Gold took the bowl from the queen and secretly added a weak sleeping potion to it, as well. He just didn't think they could risk losing another warrior, even if it was Hook. Emma took the soup eagerly and scarfed it down.

"Man, I'm tired." Emma yawned, shortly after eating.

"Care for some company, Luv?" Hook smiled. "You can tell me what I have missed since I went on holiday." He took her arm and led her away.

Regina had not missed the look on his face and her cheeks burned red in response. She had purposely been avoiding looking directly at the couple, not wanting to stray from the plan. She had, however seen Emma staring at her. She wanted so badly to join the blonde but Regina didn't need another reason to set off the pixie haired firecracker.

Emma and the pirate were gone for all of ten minutes before he returned to the main room. He nodded to Rumple and then sought of Regina. "She went on and on, asking questions about you, ya know." He whispered, once he was sure no one else was listening.

"Oh?" Regina tilted her head, suggesting they move to a less populated area. Most everyone had bunked down for the night but Neal, Robin, Mulan, Rumple and Belle were still sitting around, conversation about what tomorrow would bring.

"Aye. Apparently the Queen gave her a thorough talking to about finding a prince after all these shenanigans are over with." He finished, after they made it to the kitchen area.

"Because obviously that is appropriate conversation to make with a woman who has no memory of you." Her voice oozed with sarcasm.

"Off her rocker, that one. I see the way you lassies look at each other." He smiled.

"And do tell me, Pirate, how is it that Miss Swan and I look… at each other." She gave him a shifty glance.

"All she has talked about since we got to the forest was seeing you. Obviously there is something there."

"That's because I had to come to her in her sleep, Killian. It means nothing."

"Oh, piss. Do you forget that I was there the day you sent her and the boy off?" He turned and faced her head on. "You looked like you were losing your best friend and I know it wasn't just because of your son. You have grown quiet fond of that girl."

Taking a deep breath, she took to staring him in the face. "We grew close in Neverland. We learned to be what the other needed, to be friends…" she stopped and looked down awkwardly. "We are just friends."

"And I am naive." He added on sarcastically, throwing his hand over his face in 'oh woe is me' fashion.

She gave a weak smile. "Good night, Hook."

"Aye, your majesty, tomorrow is a new day. Don't worry about Snow White, she doesn't dictate your future."

With a nod, she vanished through the door.

"If you only knew how lucky you really are." He sighed.

Emma woke to an empty room. She could hear people chattering outside the door and she went to investigate. As she made it through the doorway, she was met with two dark, golden brown eyes that were obviously full of hope. The blonde smiled warmly at the woman who looked to have been waiting around in the hall for hours.

"Sorry, Lady. Still don't know your name." Emma shrugged.

"Of course not. Well, at least you didn't kill anyone in your sleep." Regina smiled, hiding her disappointment.

"Right. Do you people drink coffee?" She asked, randomly.

The brunette flipped her hand through the air between them and pulled a steaming mug from nothing. "Cinnamon? " Regina finished with a smile.

"Negative." The blonde said after silent consideration. "You will have to teach me to do that stuff. Make my mornings easier." She finished, with a slight grumble in her voice.

"I already have, Miss Swan." She whispered, too low for the blonde to hear over the buzzing voices around the house.

Regina laughed as she moved aside to allow Emma passage into the main room. She went without question.

"Emma?" Snow called.

Their eyes met and Emma's smile faded. "Nope, sorry, Mary Margret, was it?"

There was a collective gasp from the others in the room. No one had called her by that name in quite some time and for Emma to be so impersonal with her own mother, that was surprising. Snow bowed her head and walked away without another word. Emma could tell that she had upset the woman but she didn't know what to say. She wasn't going to go after her but a not so gentle nudge from Regina's arm set her across the room.

"Wait… er… Snow." She followed her to the kitchen before the queen ran out of rooms to flee to.

"It's okay, you'll remember eventually." Snow smiled, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

Emma walked over to the woman and wrapped her arms around her. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I still don't really believe this is even happening, I expect to wake up at any point now. I am bad with words and feelings and I know I have hurt you." She whispered. Snow tried to speak but the lump in her throat assured that no sound came out. Emma felt her shirt grow wet with the woman's tears. "Listen, you have to just ignore me until someone gets me my memories or whatever back, okay?"

Snow gave a soggy laugh and pulled away from her daughter. She smiled and walked away without another word.

"No, I'm done with this shit." Emma said, handing Gold back a full potion. "My guts are going to explode if I drink one more concoction."

Rumple couldn't even form words, he just looked at her blankly as she stood up and walked to the door. "I need air." She called back as she left the cabin.

Ruby had got up to follow her when Regina stormed right past her. The young woman turned to look for guidance from either Snow or Rumple who were both seated next to were Emma had evacuated. Snow simply rolled her eyes when the man had replied before she could. "Let them go, Miss Lucas. Regina will sort it out." He said, defeat in his voice.

"Miss Swan, you really shouldn't wander off, there are all sorts of dangerous things out here." The brunette spoke softly when she met up with the woman at the edge of a slowly flowing creek.

"What could be more dangerous than the Evil Queen?" Emma smiled back at her.

Regina's face fell, there was a familiar pain in her chest as she awaited rejection. "I should have known Snow would have…."

"No, Hook slipped the night before you got my head busted." The blonde laughed, trying to lighten the situation she had thrown them into.

"I see." Regina looked out over the water.

"I don't believe you're evil." Emma mumbled.

Ruby and a few others had taken to finding the women when the couple didn't return promptly. The group had stopped a while back from where they were talking. Ruby and Rumple could hear the conversation clear as day and they thought it best to spare the others. Snow had a different idea all together. She peaked through the bush that hid the group from view.

Without warning, Regina turned to the blonde and took her hand. "Emma listen, I'm going to try something…." She started.

"Oh no you don't. No more poison for this kid, thanks." Emma shot.

Closing the space between them with her body the brunette spoke again. "It's not a potion, not this time."

"uh huh. Then what?"

Emma's green eyes brightened as Regina raised her loose hand to the woman's face. It came to rest on her jaw line. The blonde was smiling faintly but the brunette was visibly shaking.

Snow gasped so loud that the whole group hurried over to get a look. The queen was about to shoot through the bushes, screaming when Rumble intervened.

"Really Dearie? Are you sure that is a wise decision?" He caught Snow by the back of her shirt, causing the woman to turn on him, fist in the air. With a wave of his hand, the woman was frozen in place.

'Rumplestiltskin, you undo this magic right now or so help me…"

He put his hand up again, silencing the woman, taking her voice. "You really are naïve." He whipered. "And you talk far too much."

Her eyes grew wide with panic as Belle, Hook and seemingly everyone else, who could walk, popped up behind them, having followed after the previous group. When Ruby heard them coming up from behind, she doubled back and hushed them, pointing through the trees for them to watch. Rumple reached up and silenced everyone with an invisible barrier. Tink smiled wildly as she took her place between Mulan and Rumple on the edge of the tree line. Belle had cupped her lips with her hand to silence her giggling, unaware that her lover had made it impossible for the couple by the water to hear them. Slowly, Hook and Neal also made their way to the front of the line, both looking like they could puke at what they were about to potentially witness. Snow screamed silently and tears rolled down her emotion-distorted face.

"Why are you always the skeptic?" Regina asked with a smile as she moved forward ever so slowly in Emma's direction.

"Same reason you have to be the strong one, I suppose, It's just who we are." Emma replied slowly, staring at the other's deep red lips. Before Regina could close the space completely, Emma made the move. Their lips met in a swirl of purple and gold as the energy literally shot from between them and spanned in all directions, carrying with it a gust of warm wind. Emma nearly fell backward and had Regina not been holding on to her, she surely would have. The kiss was nothing amazing, it was short.

"I must have stepped on a rock of something." Emma laughed nervously, looking around on the ground for anything to blame for her footing giving way. She hadn't known that their kiss had made magic.

Snow's voice had come back, suddenly. She was still screaming and she fell forward onto the ground as the spell holding her upright was released. She stared at the couple for a second, gasping for air. She then looked up to Rumple who wore the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. It was quite unsettling to her. As she stood up and started forward, Tink put her hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled gently when Snow looked her direction.

"No just yet, Dearie." Rumple whispered.

Snow stayed where she was told. Tink wove her little fingers into the queen's hand and Belle took the other. They all stood there in silence, staring. Ruby strained to hear what was going on by the water. Her eyes grew yellow when the sound of approaching footsteps clouded her senses. She looked around, trying to zone in on the source.

Emma burned with desire as she stood motionless, staring into Regina's eyes. Her hand was still being held captive by the woman and the contact made her whole body tingle, right down to her core. She smiled softly as her ears began to burn. Regina stared back, not wanting to let go of the woman but she let her hand fall. She had a feeling but she wasn't sure what exactly it was. The Queen was happy, her whole body felt light as a cloud but as for labeling that feeling, she drew a blank.

Clearing her throat, the brunette started to turn away when Emma snatched her hand back up and spun her around so that they were yet again face to face. The blonde crashed her lips against Regina's. Creeping a hand up into the queen's shaggy brown hair, she pulled the woman into her, tilting her head back to deepen the embrace. Eyes closed, Regina's head spun wildly as every memory she ever had with the blonde shot across her mind. She moaned into Emma's hot mouth, parting her lips. The blonde's grip tightened as she felt a hand snake up her own body and come to rest on the middle of her back. Emma's eyes sank closed and everything she had forgotten came rushing back. The first time she laid eyes on a visibly upset Regina, the first time the woman invaded her space, the bare-knuckle brawl in the cemetery, the long journey of Neverland and the way Regina's wet hair clung perfectly to her face after the storm that all but destroyed the Jolly Roger and the way she looked at her after they had officially saved their son on the main street of Storybrooke . Memories of Henry, of Snow and charming, Of Ruby and Granny, Neal, Hook, Gold and Belle all flooded her brain. It was too much to take. Emma broke the kiss and allowed tears to stream steadily down her face as Regina held her to her chest.

"Miss Swan, are you alright?"

There was no answer from the blonde but her arms tightened around the woman who held her. After a moment, Regina spoke again. "Even if you don't know who I am, Emma, I don't want you to run from me… from this. Let me be your roots." She whispered, tears now running down her face as well.

"You have always been my roots…. Regina." Emma whispered back.

The tears fell harder from both women as they stood in a solid, loving embrace. Regina smiled and straightened up, she pulled away from Emma to look her in the face. "This has to wait, we have to go tell the others. There is so much that has to be done today…"

"I know. Snow is going to just die." Emma laughed, smearing salty tears around her face.

"You have no idea!" Snow yelled from the trees as she bolted towards them.

Regina closed her fist, energy swirled around her hand, itching to be released. "Snow, you don't understand…." She started.

Looking up, she saw the rest of the brigade following behind their Queen. Regina's heart raced as she waited what she thought was a pending attack. She looked out into the slowly advancing group. No one but Neal and Hook looked upset. Everyone else seemed to be smiling. Red, was actually sobbing and she could have sworn she just saw Gold wipe a tear from his face. Regina loosened her fist and let the energy dissipate.

"I knew that was going to do the trick!" Tink called joyously over the group.

Snow didn't stop when she made it to Emma but she instead threw her arms around her daughter. "Oh, Emma." She cried.

The celebration was short lived when Ruby caught sound of the approaching footsteps again, they were faster, harder now. "Shit." She said to herself before she jumped on top of Emma and Snow knocking them to the ground. "Run! We have been spotted!" No sooner than the words came out, arrows hissed through the air.

There were shouts from the group as they scattered in all directions, trying to find cover to regroup. Regina spun on her heel and shot ball after fiery ball into the incoming arrows. Tink pulled up a barrier around the people closest to her, arrows bounced off of it, in every direction, and stuck in the ground around her.

Looking up, Snow could see that there was a man standing in front of them. He crumbled to his knees and then fell over. She then saw that it was Fredrick, an arrow was sticking up out of the collar of his breast plate, and his neck was coated in dark, flowing liquid. He reached a trembling hand to her and whispered the word "Serenity" before blood pooled to the corner of his lips and then trickled onto the ground. Snow had taken his hand and was crying into Emma's side as she held her, still partially under Ruby who was just trying to keep the women on the ground.

Hook came stumbling into view, almost unable to stay on his feet as the blood rushed down his back. Rumple grabbed the captain, Belle, Neal and a dwarf who was nearby. He took them to the cabin in a flashy, golden haze. "Anton! Grab this man!" he shouted before he returned to the creek.

He appeared across from Regina who screamed at him to take the others first, that she could hold them. He shot a wave of blue into the attackers, leveling the trees that they took cover in, making it easier for Regina to see them. He then turned to the three women laying in a heap close by. Rumple motioned for Tink to come closer. Spinning his hand, he poofed both groups back to the house and went back one more time.

Robin and Mulan were firing arrows across the water while standing behind Regina's protection. They had managed to pull Fredrick's lifeless body over to them and there was also a man who was so bloodied that they couldn't make him out just yet. He was smaller than most and had major cuts to his head. He laid crumbled on top of the dead man, bleeding out onto his gold breastplate.

Rumple popped up next to Regina, making her jump. Her attention was stolen for a millisecond, just long enough for the arrow to come through her barrier and lodge it's self in her stomach. The burn was intense but Regina fired three more fireballs before collapsing onto Rumple, who was already holding on to her. There was a blur of lights dancing in her eyes and then she was looking up into the rafters of the cabin. There were people everywhere. Hands groped at her, tore her shirt off, Regina was dizzy, she had no idea what was happening only that there were people and her stomach was on fire. A cold liquid rushed over her body and it sent her into shivers.

A familiar set of green eyes met hers. Regina smiled and brought a shaking hand to the girl's face. "Emma." She whispered, slowing falling into darkness.

"Regina, stay with me." The woman pleaded. Regina closed her eyes only to be shook by the woman. "No, Regina, no. I love you, stay with me. I need you. Hey! Henry needs you!" The blonde cried, brushing the woman's hair off her face, trying to hold her attention.

"True…. Love." Regina whispered, her voice rattling. Her eyes rolled around in her head, everything was a blur. Then, black.

**Love a good ole cliff hanger... don't you? I know, you hate it. You wont have to wait too long for the conclusion. =) -DR**


	10. Chapter 10

"Oi! Would someone please pull this damned thing from me back?" Hook called as people rushed past him.

Mulan had been the one to stop. She looked down at the man who was lying twisted awkwardly along the back baseboard of the main room. She rolled her eyes and sighed. She couldn't decide if he was even worth her time. She had just tended to the dwarf from the battle, he turned out to be Sneezy and she was lucky she hadn't killed him accidentally, when she had to stitch him up, in between sneezing fits.

"Ello, luv. Care to help a man down on his luck?" He smiled up at her but then retracted in pain.

Without a word, she pulled her leather armor from her upper body in one movement and she threw it to the ground in front of him. Stooping down, she grabbed his good shoulder and twisted him, roughly onto his stomach. He grunted in pain but said nothing in protest. She slid her bulky armor under the pirate's chest so that his back, where the arrow protruded from, was elevated. This made the skin and muscles pull away from the wood of the arrow slightly, as his weight settled against the leather.

"I am going to cut your vest off." She said firmly.

"You know, you could have asked at any time to see my sexy… Ahh!"

Mulan had flicked the top of the arrow to shut the man up. She was beginning to think she may enjoy removing the arrow. She wouldn't have to listen to his narcissistic ranting for a while.

The woman had retrieved her knife from her hip and gripped the bottom of Hook's shirt. Slowly and carefully she pulled the knife up the blood-soaked fabric. When she made it past the arrow, she finished it off by hand, pulling the threads apart in one solid yank.

"Can someone give me a hand here?" She yelled up at the room of people.

Immediately, Robin came to her aid. "What can I do?" He asked.

"I'm going to need you to hold him down. Can you do that?"

He nodded. "On your orders, m'lady."

"Hold me down? What the bloody Christ are you going to do? Cut me in half?" Hook had began to try and turn around but Mulan put a firm hand on his neck, pushing him back down.

"It's going to hurt. I need you to not move, Robin will insure that I don't kill you while you writhe under me." She said, a smile beginning to creep across her face. Looking to Robin, she could see he was shaking his head at her comment.

"Is that so? Wait till I'm healed, I'll….. Damn it woman!" He screamed.

"Shut your mouth, Pirate." She looked down at the back of his head, she rolled the arrow slightly between her fingers, just to hear him scream. "I need another pair of hands." She called to the group.

Belle turned to walk her way, she had a smile on her face. "Torturing the womanizer?"

"Removing an arrow." Mulan smiled back.

"That will hurt him a lot." Belle replied slowly. After a dramatic pause she spoke with a bit of a laugh bubbling up in her throat. "I'm in. What can I do to help you relieve this poor man of his pain?"

"Take these to Rumple and have them sterilized." She held out a bag to the woman who nodded and disappeared.

On her return trip, Belle pasted by a sobbing Abigail, who was thrown over the body of her true love. Snow was saying something to her but Belle couldn't hear. She practically ran back to Mulan and handed her back the bag.

"Thank you. Now, I will need you to hold this while I'm working. I'll ask for things, you can hand them to me." Mulan said flatly.

When Belle nodded, Mulan then looked to Robin. "Do you have something to put in his mouth so he doesn't break his own jaw?"

"I have a wooded handle on my sling shot, hold on." He pulled open a bag attached to his hip and brought out a simple wooden weapon.

"Oh, come on, I'm not putting that in my…. Okay OKAY!"

"Robin, get in place. Belle, I will need that small knife. Hook, don't forget to breathe. Ready?"

There was a groan from the man under them and Mulan understood it as a green light. She put her thumb and middle finger on the skin on either side of the puncture. Pulling her fingers apart, she was able to see just how far down she was going to have to go. It was nothing but purple muscle meat and bright red blood as far as she could see. It hadn't gone too deep.

"Scratch that, I need the pick. Its literally a big needle with a handle." She said without looking to her partner.

Taking the tool, she followed the arrow all the way down to the metal tip. She probed around the opening carefully, trying to find where the barbs were positioned in the man's flesh. Hook groaned and mumbled under her.

"Okay, there are two things that look like tiny, thin iron files. I need them both."

"These?"

She took the tools and pushed them down into the hole, along the arrow, one at a time. She Pushed the first down over the barb, between the metal and the muscle. Taking the second, she started to do the same thing.

"This is where it is going to hurt. You're going to feel pressure just keep breathing. This part will be over soon."

Robin pushed his weight down onto the pirate's shoulders as Mulan slowly forced the tool into the opposite side of the wound. She was stretching the hole, sliding the metal band beside the last barb. Hook screamed into the ground for the duration of that segment. Robin was practically laying on top of the man, keeping him still. When she had the tools in place, she slowly pulled them and the arrow out as one unit, throwing all the pieces to the ground beside her. She put a palm over the hole that was now oozing hot, sticky blood.

"That's done. Hook are you still with us?"

He moaned.

"Good. Okay, I have to stop this bleeding and get him stitched. Hand me that powder."

Once the little bag of dust was in her hand, she sprinkled it into his wound. He was screaming again.

"Oh, sorry. Yea, this stuff burns."

The screaming turned to groaning and his body went limp.

"And he's gone." She laughed.

After the bleeding was clotted, she stitched him up quickly and wiped the dried blood from his skin. Robin had moved off the now unconscious man and was standing over the girls, watching Mulan work.

"That should do it." Mulan said, standing up. "Belle, can you dress this?"

"Yep." She said with a smile, happy to help.

"Good. Just leave him there when you are finished. He will be fine." She gathered her tools and made off to the kitchen to wash them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Emma looked up to Rumple who was trying to magically remove the arrow lodged in the woman's abdomen.

"If I can get this damned thing out without it splintering, she will." He winced as he continued. "It's very deep."

Mulan had passed them on her way back from the kitchen and all but knocked the man to the ground.

"No, no. Stop!" She yelled.

"What is it?!" He shot back, glaring at his attacker.

"You cant do it like this. You're going to kill her." Mulan's dark eyes met Emma's. The blonde's green eyes were full of panic as tears ran steadily down her face.

Gold looked up at the girls. He had pulled his hands away and stopped his magic promptly. "Then how?" He asked calmly, looking to the warrior turned surgeon.

"Can I?" She looked at him, coolly. Her hand out towards the woman lying out on the table.

"Please." He took a bow and stepped away backwards.

Mulan cut the remaining fabric from the queen's body, exposing a simple black bra and tan skin pulled across a subtle but strong musculature. She glanced over the woman's body and then quickly turned her attention to the arrow.

Emma, however, could not help but stare. She had never seen Regina in anything less than full dress. The blonde's eyes had dried as she stared down on her lover's body. She was fighting the urge to run her shaking fingers down Regina's bare skin when Mulan spoke.

"Can you hand me that bag of powder?"

Emma was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the woman.

"Hey! You will have plenty of time to stare at her when we get her put back together. Unless of course you would rather be looking at her corpse." Her tone was harsh. It shook Emma right out of her head.

"What was it?" she stared blankly.

"The powder, Emma."

The blonde handed the woman the baggy and stared down, back in thought. _I was never supposed to see her again. My memories were replaced. Oh God… Henry._ She snapped her eyes back to Mulan who was sewing up the hole where the arrow once was.

"Will you keep an eye on her? I have to find Snow." She said in a tone so serious it startled the warrior.

Mulan had hardly nodded when the blonde practically sprinted away.

Snow had been standing with Mr. Gold and Neal when Emma stormed into the room. Neal had opened his mouth to speak when she appeared but promptly shut it again, as she strolled right past him and his father. He watched her closely as she passed him, without so much as a glance.

"Where did you say Henry was?" She was right in the queen's face.

"He, um… Well, he was taken by Jefferson. We can only assume that he is with the Wicked Witch, in Rumpelstiltskin's castle."

"Assume? You don't know where he is?"

"Emma honey, our scouts were attacked, most killed. We have no way of really knowing…" Her voice trailed off.

The blonde wore a scowl that put even Regina's to shame. She spun around to face Neal who didn't seem worried enough to Emma.

"Why are you just standing around?! Our son is out there somewhere, being held captive by god knows who!" She screamed.

"Emma, you have to calm down. We were leaving today but we have to heal our wounded. Otherwise we will have no man power. Do you want to be killed?" He said surprisingly calm.

When the blonde said nothing, Neal went on. "Being careless and getting ourselves killed will put Henry further into danger. He will grow up without parents."

"Like us." Emma whispered looking now at the floor. "You're right, I'm sorry. To everyone. There is just so much going on. And Regina…"

"I know honey, everything will be fine. She… will be fine. After everyone has been stitched up, Rumple can heal them the rest of the way. They will be good as new." She smiled, trying to be enthusiastic.

"Can you give us a minute?" Emma called over to the boys standing by the door.

Rumple looked over at Snow who's eyes were screaming for them to not leave. She looked as if she may puke or cry, or both. The man just smiled lightly at her. He shook his head at her and then turned to the blonde.

"Of course, Dearie. I'm sure you two have a bit of…" He looked back at Snow, she was staring a hole through him. "Catching up to do." He finished with a smile. Tapping a reluctant Neal on the arm, Gold made his son go on in front. Once out Neal was out, the man turned and met the queen's glare.

"It's never as bad as it feels, Dearie." He whispered.

With that, he vanished beyond the door, a pink glow left hanging around the doorway. Emma, curious, walked over to the shimmering barrier. "It's a silence spell… er… charm… something." Snow said, uneasily.

"Oh, okay." The blonde turned to her mother, she could see the pain in the queen's eyes. "Look, we need to talk about this…" She started.

"No we don't." Snow replied quickly. "It's none of my business."

"Sure seems that way."

"Emma, she is the Evil Queen."

"Really? What is so evil about her? Because as far as I can remember, the only thing she has done in the past while is save our asses."

"She has killed people."Snow whined.

"So have you. So have I. Are we evil? And David... Is he Evil?" Emma stared the woman in her eyes, half daring her to actually answer.

"Emma…"

"No, Snow listen to me." She silenced the woman. "She isn't evil, not anymore. Like Mr. Gold, Regina has proven herself time and time again. You have to stop, that argument is no longer valid."

Snow took a deep breath and walked over to the other side of the room. She had her arms wrapped around herself. There were no words for ages, just the queen walking around and Emma watching her.

"When did this happen?" Snow asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Green eyes dared around the queen's face, trying to get a read on her.

"When did you start seeing Regina?" Her voice was firm.

"I never… we never…" Emma was shaking her head. Snow stared, waiting for the blonde to get it all out. "Okay, we have never even talked about it, Snow. I mean Regina and I… I had no idea she felt the same."

Snow rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You just found true love by coincidence? Now why don't I believe that?" She gritted her teeth and looked back at her daughter who appeared more confused, than angry at the queen's remark.

"Snow, you and David found true love through a stolen ring and a rock to the chin, how can you stand there and judge us? I literally had no idea."

The queen's features softened as the blonde's words sank in. They stood in silence again but this time, Snow was searching for the courage to be kind and understanding.

"You're right." She finally said.

"What?" The blonde just about fell over. She was expecting a fight, not an agreement.

"You're right. You are absolutely right. I should have never judged you. Love is love, no matter the form."

"Oh… okay." Tired of standing, Emma moved to the wall and slid down to the wall. She sat cross-legged and looked up at her mother who too was making her way to the floor.

"So, tell me, then… how did this start… for you?" Snow smiled.

"Well, I mean from jump I was attracted to her… it was just weird, like I… I don't know." Emma stared down at the old rotting wooden planks on the floor in front of her.

"Why?"

"She is my son's mother, she tried to kill me… and you and…"

"No, no, I mean why were you… are you… attracted to her?" Snow looked her daughter in the face and Emma knew that she was seriously questioning her. When she decided that this was motherly curiosity and not for an ulterior motive, she answered as honest as she could.

"Here's the thing… She is strong. Not like powerful strong, I mean she is powerful but that's not what I like… I mean I do like that about her but…" She could not pull her words together. Her voice shook.

"Emma, Honey… Just calm down. It's okay…"Snow assured her with a gentle smile.

There was a heavy sigh before the blonde tried again. "Okay, when we first met, I found her intriguing. She was just so independent, so powerful, personally. You have to understand, I never knew her as the Evil Queen so to me, she was just a strong, independent woman who would give anything for the love of her son. After some time, I kinda made pissing her off into a game just to see her get aggravated. She was and still is incredibly attractive to me, especially when she's mad." She paused, looking back up at her mother who was listening intently.

"After the day she got right up in my face, telling me to get Henry out of the mine, I just… I don't know, I fell, I guess. She was so close and it was oddly intimate to me. And when we saved her from what's his name… Greg? When she was on that table all helpless and shit. She never gave in, she would of rather died." Emma stopped, thinking about that day.

"Go on, I know there is more. Just get it all out." Snow said softly.

"And then, Neverland. Shew. That was a journey. On the ship, with the fighting and the mermaid, that was the first time I saw her in action and I have to say, though she was kicking your ass, it was hot."

Snow coughed, and glared at her daughter, unamused that the cause of her pain was attractive. "That's not funny, Emma."

"Sorry." She looked down. "But seriously in Neverland, we connected. I got to see the real Regina. The caring, loving woman inside the Evil Queen. She comforted me, as I did her. She brought us all together and she was exactly what I needed. I just grew to love her, I mean really love her. Not like I loved Neal, he was just a right place at the right time kind of deal… Regina, now she… she is real."

She sighed again, and stared at the ground. She could feel the lump in her throat forming. "The day that Mr. Gold killed off Pan, the day Henry and I left… When she passed out I the street, my heart fell right into my stomach. When she woke up and grabbed me, when my name left her lips… I was pretty sure I was going to die. I wanted to tell her then, right then, but there was no time. I thought that after we saved everyone or whatever, I could tell her the right way… But she had a different plan." Tears streamed down her face, now. Her voice was cracking. Snow reached over and put a loving hand on Emma's leg.

"I was too afraid to tell her in front of everyone, before she sent us off. My heart screamed for her as my memory was wiped. Even after then, every night, I dreamed about her, about that moment… And now I finally have her, and my memories and she is dying in the next room and I still can't tell her exactly how I feel." She had finally broke, her face twisted in pain as she openly sobbed.

"Honey, she knows how you feel. You two broke your curse, with love… true love. Trust me, she knows." Snow scooted over next to her daughter and pulled her sideways into an awkward hug. "And she isn't going to die. Mr. Gold will fix her up, you know that." She paused, and squeezed the woman's shoulder. "I need you to know… I love you no matter what. True love knows no boundary, including gender. I was so angry when I first realized that you had feelings for each other, and trust me… I knew as soon as I saw you two make eye contact... I was upset that you would never find your prince, you would never be queen but then I realized that the only thing that matters is your happiness. Who says your prince can't be a woman? Who says that you can't rule beside another queen? I have no right to judge you or her and I certainly have no right to be angry over who you love. I am just happy to have you back and to know that you have found true love." Snow said, kissing the blonde on the forehead.

Emma lifted her tear stained face and smiled the tiniest of smiles. "Yea. Thank you." She wiped her face with her palm and pulled out of the embrace. "I need to be with her now."

Snow smiled as she stood and then helped the blonde to her feet. They both turned to the doorway, seeing that the barrier had dissolved at some point during their talk. Emma was the first to leave, she walked right out, leaving her mother behind. Snow just smiled to herself as she watched the woman disappear.

"Well?" Rumple popped in out of nowhere.

"It went good." Snow replied.

"I assume everything that needed to be said, was, as my barrier came down on it's own." He said with a little excitement in his voice.

"yes."

"So… This family tree keeps getting more interesting by the minute." He laughed.

"Shut it, Gold." She snapped with a disgusted look on her face. "Step-mother plus dead father equals no step-mother. Can we just forget about that, please? It never mattered to begin with."

He just laughed louder and took a bow. "As you wish, your majesty." He whispered as he vanished into a golden cloud.

Emma sat beside her unconscious lover, with her head on the woman's hand. She fought back tears as she wished for the chance to tell the woman how she felt. Her heart was pounding loud in her ears as she doze off, thinking about how she would have told her, had their lives been more normal.

She saw herself holding the brunette's tan hand in her own, walking along a riverbed. The sun was slowly drifting behind a hill to their left. The light haloed Regina's face, making her seem like an angel, standing before her eyes. Emma pulled the woman into a long hug and then looked into those amazing, brown eyes. She was lost, overcome with the feeling that made her stomach flip around and around. The woman smiled softly as Emma slowly moved in. Their lips met gently, Regina closed her eyes as her lover moved her pale hand to cup her jaw. Emma stared down her nose at the face of the one she loved. Slowly she pulled away. The brunette let her forehead rest against Emma's. In the moment, the blonde let her feeling take hold. "I love you, Regina Mills." She whispered. Emma heard a the woman gasp. But, without hesitation, the queen looked deep into the bright green eyes in front of her with and smiled. "I love you too."

Emma slowly woke with a growing smile on her face. She felt like she could float away. Lifting her head, she soon felt awkward as she was met with the dark brown eyes of Mulan who had come to check on the queen's wound.

"Emma." The woman nodded.

With a nervous smile, Emma gave a quick "Hi" before deciding she needed some air. She made her way outside and to the wooden sheep fence by the house. She jumped up onto the top rung and perched there. Looking out over the field, she could see a woman in a red cloak walking her way. She smiled big and waited.

"Rubes!" Emma called.

"Oh Emma, I'm so glad you're back." The girl gave a wide grin.

"Shit, me too." The blonde laughed.

"So, Regina, huh?"

"Apparently… "

"It's about time, I could always sense a weird sexual tension between you two. I'm just glad it turned out to be love, not just lust." Ruby said, taking her place leaning next to Emma on the wooden beam.

"yea."

"And let me just say, she has a very potent scent… Any time you were around her she just oozed with desire… literally."

"Eww, Ruby. Can we not go there? You are so weird." Emma said practically spitting.

"Just thought you should know." The wolf-girl smiled.

Emma had taken back to looking out over the grassy land when something moving caught her eye. There were two figures moving in fast. "Um, Tink put up a barrier right?" Emma whispered, jumping down. "Because uh, we have company."

Ruby stuck her nose in the air and inhaled deeply. "That's strange." She whispered. "Go get Snow… Now."

Emma ran up to the door and tripped over Leroy, flying into the kitchen. "Snow, someone has come through the barrier. Ruby needs you out front… like now."

She spun and took off for the door, Snow right behind her. When she got to the girl she stopped, shocked.

"So, uh, we have a visitor." Ruby beamed. A woman in a blue vest stepped out from behind her. She wore her hair in a messy bun and her black pants were peppered with holes.

"Blue!" Snow squealed as she threw herself at the woman. "But how did you get away? I thought you had been captured at the stronghold."

"You just can't keep a good fairy down." The woman smiled. "So, I hear you could use my help… oh and look who I found hiding in the woods…" she stepped aside to reveal a smaller, younger woman in a tattered pink sweater.

"Nova?" Snow asked slowly.

The woman smiled up at her. "Come on, we are going to the house. I know someone who would love to see you."

"Leroy, Come here." Snow called.

When the little balding man turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh, Astrid!" He cried out, running to the woman and immediately crashing his lips into hers.

"Dreamy, thank goodness you're okay." She smiled, pulling back as tears ran down her cheeks.

Emma smiled at the couple and then looked to the woman in blue. "Who did you want to see?" Emma asked.

"Well, you, my dear, wish very loudly. I heard you from miles away. I'm surprised Green didn't tell you to quiet down, I'm sure you gave her quite the headache." The woman smiled. "Take me to Regina."

Emma practically ran to where her lover who was laid sprawled out and still half undressed on a table top. The blonde waved her hand over to the table, making sure the woman could see exactly where Regina was. As soon as Blue saw the unconscious woman, she had to swallow down a laugh. The sight of the queen in her current state was almost too much for her.

"Well, there is something you don't see every day." She smiled.

"Whats that?" Emma followed the woman's gaze and her ears soon burned with realization. "Oh." She looked down.

"Don't be ashamed child, she is your true love, you're allowed to look."

"Just… can you help her?" Emma asked quickly, wanting out of the situation.

The woman nodded and stepped up to Regina's side. She pulled out a little, transparent, pale blue wand. She floated the tip over the brunette's chest. Emma stood behind the fairy, wide eyed, as she watched wave after wave of blue light pulse out of the wand and into the queen's chest.

Rumple had come to see what all the hubbub was about, he looked thoroughly disappointed when he saw that the blue fairy had appeared to do his job. Walking over to the group, he stopped beside Snow. "How convenient." He whispered. Snow reached down and squeezed the man's hand as she say Regina's eyelids flutter.

"Come on, Regina." Emma whispered as she grabbed the woman's hand. Deciding that the fairy's magic just wasn't enough, she leaned down and kissed her lover's lips. A purple and golden swirl shot into the fairy's blue light and burst like a firework. Falling backwards, Blue realized that her wand was vibrating.

"Wow, Snow White…" She turned to the pixie haired queen. "Theirs is as strong as yours and David's."

Snow just rolled her eyes and focused back on the couple. Regina began to stir. Emma wore a look of concern but it dissolved as she was met with two sleepy caramel eyes, staring up at her. Laughing, the blonde began to cry as she threw herself down on the woman. "I thought you would never wake up."

"Well, Miss Swan, I am awake now… and you... you're crushing me." She said, straining for breath.

"Oh." Emma jumped back. "I'm sorry." She laughed.

"Thank you." Regina smiled at the blonde.

"For what?"

"For loving me back." The brunette pulled the woman down to her face and kissed her. "Because I lost my world when I let you and Henry go. I'm just glad that I could get through to you."

"Regina, I do. I had no idea you…"

"I know… but you do now." The queen smiled up at her savior. "And I'm never letting you go again."

**We all need a smidgen of fluffy goodness in our lives. Thank you, thank you for reading. Feel free to drop me a comment in the review section. The next chapter will be a peak into what Henry and the others are up to. You'll get your action fix then. Stay tuned. =) -DR**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is a quick little snippet of what Henry is dealing with. I figured it was about time we saw both pieces on the story. Not too much though, just enough to keep you wondering. =) Happy reading, lovelies. -DR**

"Oh come on, Jefferson! What did I ever do to you?!" Henry's breaking voice called out.

"Henry… I have told you, this is nothing personal. She has Grace and this is the only way to get her back." The man said in a sing-songy fashion.

"No. There are other ways, you don't have to be a villain! You can join my mom and the others… you can be a hero…"

"Listen, kid, you should keep it down, we are getting close."

"Please… please don't do this." The boy begged through the wooden bars of his makeshift prison. He was being jarred every which direction while the steed pulling the cart, stumbled along the cobblestone.

The man stopped and moved to the back of the cart. When the boy came into view, he was kneeling on side, a bar in each hand. The Hatter noticed that Henry didn't really appear upset, so much as he did purely inconvenienced. He removed his hat and ran steady fingers through his quickly greasing hair. As he pulled his hand down his neck, his finger lingered on the thick, raised scar that ran all the way around. though it had been there for years, he never got used to how foreign it felt.

"I'm not a villain. You know that. I have no other motive for kidnapping you, aside from my Grace. Henry, I have to take you to the Wicked one but I'm not going to take you in blind…"

Henry stared at the man, squinting his eyes in skepticism. "What do you mean?"

"We are going to the home of the late Rumpelstiltskin. I have been there time and time again, we were close once, he and I… Once i have Grace, I will go to your parents, they will come find you. I will also make sure you are protected, Henry. You wont be harmed, you are simply pawn here. Once thing though…"

"What?"

"Prince… er… King, King Charming…" The Hatter cocked an eyebrow and stared up in thought.

"David."

"Yes, he… well, he has been sentenced to death."

"You're joking... We have to save him!"

"That is my point, boy." The man smiled slyly.

"So… you have kidnapped me, to get your daughter but you plan on rescuing us after you get her?"

"No. I expect you will accidentally be let out and you will rescue the king and your friends… I am no hero, boy. But you..." The man stared Henry in the face. His lips turned up into a smirk. "You are the son of the savior. Hero just happens to run in your blood."

"Oh, I see." The boy whispered. "You don't want to be confused for a hero."

"I don't want to be confused for anything but a father rescuing his daughter."

Henry sat silently, swaying with the wagon as they continued their journey to the castle. When they made it to the hill that looked down on the structure, the horse came to a stop. The boy strained to look around. He was extremely nervous. He had already leaned to not trust The Hatter, long ago.

"Alright Henry, when we reach the castle, I need you to resist me, to fight back. I need you to be convincing. Just play along once her men have you, I need you to wait until they get you all the way to the dungeon, but don't go too easily. You wouldn't want to make anyone suspicious... Your family is well known here, The Witch expects a bit of rebellion. They will take you to the only remaining cell… Belle's bedroom…."

"Mr. Gold kept Belle in a dungeon cell?" Henry gawked.

"Yes, now, do pay attention, this part is important." Jefferson threw his hands outward. "Are you listening?"

He waited for Henry to nod before he continued, pulling a slip of paper from under the band around his hat. He unrolled it and handed it to the boy. "Alright, now, this map shows the location of a staff hidden in the walls. Once you have the staff, you can unlock your cell and free everyone else."

"A staff? I don't have magic, Jefferson."

"You are of magically blood, of his blood. You can wield the staff, boy…. You just have to believe."

"I'm seeing a trend here." Henry said flatly, rolling his eyes. "Believing gets me in trouble, always. You know, come to think of it, so does trying to be a hero..."

"Once you have your people, you must silently move to the water reservoir. You can escape through there but Henry, It is very important that you do not alert the guards. They are ruthless. Get to the hill the sun sets on. Find the Tin Man. He will protect you until I can inform your family."

"The Tin Man? You can't be serious."

"Oh yes Henry." He took the boy's hand. "Very serious indeed. I would think that by now, you shouldn't be surprised by much of anything. Just follow the map, okay? Any questions?"

"Um… no, I guess not." Henry said softly after consideration.

"Alright, put on your miserable, fighting, kidnapped brat face in 3… 2… 1…" Jefferson opened the door on the wagon and Henry lunged out of the cage and on top of the man. They both started screaming as their staged fight begun. Throwing the struggling boy over his shoulder, Jefferson marched down the path to the castle. Henry went kicking and screaming but he took great care in not actually hitting the man packing him around.

When their charade made it to the front door, two men in black face paint and green armored suit,s popped their blades across the opening. "Halt in the name of the Wicked Queen! State your business!" The men yelled in unison.

"Couple of Tweedles, you are." Jefferson laughed. "I have the grandson of the Charmings', the son of the Savior and the Evil Queen."

"Prove it, peasant." One of the men said, moving forward to grab the boy.

"Oh no you don't." Jefferson spat, setting Henry on his feet and yanking him under his arm. "You're not stealing my find, fella."

"Prove yourself!" The other guard yelled. He had moved closer to Jefferson and was eyeing him in distrust.

"And how do you suppose I do that, exactly? I don't have blood work to prove his lineage." Jefferson lifted a brow at the men.

"Retrieve the Mirror, Monkey." One man called over his shoulder.

"The Mirror?" Jefferson looked down at Henry. The boy attempted to pull away from the man's grip without avail. The Hatter grabbed a hand full of shaggy brown hair, as gently as he could while still being convincing and he yanked the kid back. "Don't be brave, boy."

Wincing in pain, Henry allowed the man to pull him back under his arm, while the guards looked on, stone faced.

"Do be careful with me you damned gorilla!" A voice shouted beyond the door.

There was a clumsy rapping on the wood before one of the men opened it. There stood a rather large creature that appeared to be a monkey with wings. It clutched in its paws a small, square glassed mirror with wild golden vines protruding from all around it, creating a grand frame. Inside the mirror, surrounded by green and blue waves was a face, the face of Sidney, the Genie.

"I am not a toy to be played with when you are bored, gentlemen." The Genie called, in a flat, uninterested voice.

"Enough, mirror, you tell us, is this the boy The Wicked one desires?" The guard asked.

The man in the mirror looked at Henry and then up at Jefferson, who obviously hadn't expected to have to deal with this kind of interrogation. The man stared at boy again and then suddenly looked overwhelmed.

"Is this the boy?!"

"Henry." The Sidney whispered with despair in his voice.

"Mirror!" The guard shouted.

"Yes, yes, this is my Queen's son." Sidney replied apparently uninterested again.

"There is no Queen but the Wicked Queen, you fool." The guard said waving his hand in dismissal.

The doors swung wide and Jefferson led Henry into the main room of the castle. They followed a distance behind the guards. "Alright boy, it's show time. Don't forget what I told you. And do not lose that map." The man whispered. Henry simply nodded as he kept a straight face.

"What have you got for me, Hatter?" The woman's voice was like a gust of icy air, flowing through the room.

"I… Ahem… I have the boy you asked for, in exchange for my daughter." Jefferson called, looking around for the woman. He pulled the boy roughly against his side.

"The boy, you say? Which boy would that be?" A chill coated both Henry and his captor as they stood in the center of the room. A disturbing, drawn out laugh echoed all around them.

Jefferson pulled in a deep breath as took to staring straight ahead. He grabbed the hair on the back of Henry's head and yanked the boy's face up into the air.

"It is the Evil Queen's son, The son of the savior, the mirror even said so!" He called. "Come see for yourself! Bring me my daughter, Witch!"

The woman laughed a malicious laugh and green smoke appeared on the far wall of the room. "You are a fool, Hatter." The woman hissed.

She stepped out of the cloud, revealing herself in full form. Her greenish- blonde hair was pulled tight over the top of her head and rested in a long, cascade down one shoulder. Her skin, from head to toe was a nasty shade of green that clashed terribly with her icy blue eyes and the bright red of her lips. The woman rested a gnarly hand on her black, dress clad hip as she stared hard into the eyes of the man holding her prize.

Jefferson had pushed Henry behind him when the woman appeared alone. "My daughter, Witch." He spoke without a fault in his voice. "We had a deal."

"I am not big on deals, Hatter. I generally just take what I want. It more fun that way." She smiled.

"You tricked me?!" Jefferson was shaking, unable to remain calm.

"Guards, take this fool to the cage."

"And the boy?" The guard asked, Jefferson in one hand and a fighting Henry in the other.

"Take him to the dungeon. Keep him in one piece, I'll be needing him later." She sang, as she strolled off into another cloud.

The guard handed Henry off to another man, a man who wore all black, as opposed to the classic green get-up of the personal guardsmen. The man led Henry by the arm, down a hallway and through a dimly lit corridor. The passage opened up into a cobblestone floored stairwell. Henry crumbled as dead weight, causing the man to drag him down the steps to the dungeon.

"Boy, do not make this harder than it has to be." The man boomed .

Henry remained limp and silent, making the man drag him all the way to the cell. When the man reached for the door, Henry made a break for it. He ran down the hall that was lined with doors, peering in each, as well as he could on the run. He was searching for his friends, for his grandfather, but of all the people locked in the cells, he only recognized one; An old woman, knitting on a cot in a cell at the end of the hall. Her eyes met the boys and she smiled wide.

Henry had almost made it to the door at the end when the man caught him by the coat and pulled his weight, effortlessly all the way back down to the open cell. In the room, next to the open door, stood a woman with tightly dreaded, shoulder length, light brown hair. She had very soft features and eyes so blue that they alone were enough for the boy to realize who she was. He had seen them in his dreams, in the room of fire. Henry allowed the man to pull him to his feet. The boy walked into the cell at his own accord, having figured out a plan of attack. He stepped in and the door came crashing closed behind him, causing him to jump at the sound.

After listening to the receding boot heels of the man, Henry sank down in the floor and looked around. Taking a deep breath he pulled the rolled up slip of paper from his boot. Opening it, he compared what he saw to his surroundings. It seemed like the same room. He studied the map in his hands future, finding the red dot that marked where he would find the staff. He looked back to the far wall of the small room, it was composed of stone blocks, and none looked loose from where he sat. With a frown, he rolled the paper back up and placed it in his vest pocket.

He stood, supporting his sore body against the wall. Dropping into dead weight before a flight of stairs wasn't his best idea, turns out. Once he was steady on his feet, he slowly made his way to the wall he had stared at. He ran his fingers against the cool, rough stones. Half way down the wall, close to the corner of the room, his fingers skimmed across a stone that was significantly colder than the others. Placing an open palm to the source of the chill, he smiled.

"Henry, Is that you?" The woman whispered.

"Yea, it's me. You're Sleeping Beauty right?" He whispered back to the wall across for where he stood previously.

"Aurora, Yes."

"I remember you from my dreams, from the room of fire."

"I know."

"Do you know where my grandpa is being held?"

"Who is your grandfather, Henry?"

"Oh… um… David. Prince Charming."

There was a silence from the other side of the wall. Henry stood with his ear to the wall, wondering if she was just speaking too soft for him to hear.

"He is set for death in a few days. They would have him hanging in the cages."

"I have a way out, Aurora. I'm going to need your help. Where are the cages?" He asked.

"Behind this castle, in the court yard, I think. Did you say you have a way out?"

"I'll explain when I work it out. Who else is here?"

"A lot of people are here Henry… From your world and mine."

"Okay, we will have to save them all. Do you have something to maybe make a list with?"

"I have nothing." She sighed so deeply that Henry could hear it.

"Okay, It will be okay, I will find something. Give me a second." He looked around, searching for anything he could use to make a mark on paper with.

He walked over to the flat of old blankets on the floor. The last person to live here was Belle, she had to have left something. He flipped the blankets out, one dusty rag at a time. When he found nothing, he turned to an old, dirt covered, golden pillow. He turned it over in his hands, studying it. He looked for a hole or something in the fabric but found nothing. Defeated, he through the pillow back into place. He heard a clink of glass on the stone as the pillow fell into place. Picking it up once more he he lifted it above his eyes. Under it, hid a half filled inkwell.

"Awesome." He smiled. There was no quill but he found some straw in the blankets. Making his way back to the wall, he sat in the floor, ear to the stone.

"Okay, Aurora, I have something. I need names, of the people from my world first." He said, pulling the roll of parchment back out of his boot.

"I don't know their names, Henry. I'm sorry."

Henry had already scribbled down the names of the people he knew to be there. Including Aurora.

"All princesses have a prince, who is your prince?" He called through the wall.

"Phillip… but he is gone, as is my daughter. Killed. I have even lost my protector." She said in an almost mechanical voice.

"I'm so sorry. How long have you been here?"

"We were captured the day she took this place so, three nights after the tornado."

"You have been here for over a year?"

"Yes, Phillip was killed by those creatures the Witch commands… My baby was lost before she saw the world beyond these wall. The guards took her. I was told she was destroyed." She was crying but her voice never wavered. "And my Mulan was also captured. I can only hope she escaped."

Henry fell silent. He too was crying. Hot tears burned his cheek as the stained his skin. "We will avenge them."

"No. Revenge is not justice… Your mother taught me that."

After a moment, Henry cleared his head. "Did you say Mulan?"

"Yes?"

"She definitely got free. She came to get me and Emma a few days ago."

"Really? That is great news, Henry! Was she alone?"

"No. She had um... Captain Hook, Belle and Tinkerbell with her."

"Oh great news indeed! She is alive and will come to our aid." Aurora was beaming through the wall the boy. "Mulan will save us."

Henry stared at the floor under his legs. The excitement the Princess displayed at the mention of the warrior was perplexing to him. "Uh-Huh." He replied softly.

Jefferson is being pulled by a man, he assumes it is the guard from before but he can't be sure, he never got a good look at the man's face. He was forced through a heavy wooden door and then suddenly, he was standing out in the courtyard. The sunlight was bright in his eyes.

"Whats this then?" He asked the man. The guard simply pushed the him forward in silence.

They came up on what appeared to be a maze of stone walls, much like he had seen in wonderland. As he was led into the center of this puzzle, he took mental notes of how many turns they had taken and how many paces got them there. Once they stopped, Jefferson looked around. He could see that they were completely surrounded by walls, save for two openings, one on each side. Looking up, he almost choked at what he saw.

There, in the middle of the enclosed area sat a giant scaffold. From that scaffold, there hung a dozen rusty, old, metal cages. He could see that some of them were occupied. Men and women alike, caged like birds, dangling on chains for show… awaiting their fates. He couldn't help but stare at the set up.

"Crank down number seven!" The guard called.

Looking around, Jefferson saw a little man turning a giant lever. As the man strained to turn the massive crank, a cage slowly moved towards the guard and the Hatter. The gears in the crank screamed loudly in protest of its use. While watching the extremely dramatic motions of the cage swinging in front of him, something else caught Jefferson's eye. There in the middle of the hanging prisons, a single noose swayed in the breeze. It stood out harshly against the blue sky. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention to the man doing the cranking. It took a lot of work just to move one cage.

Once in his metal prison, he slowly made the journey to the rest of the cages, floating around. He looked to his right and saw just the someone he would be needing.

"What the hell are you doing here, Jefferson?!" David's voice was harsh, as if he hadn't spoken in weeks.

"It would seem that I am being held captive, your grace… but in reality… I'm saving your ass."

A dumb, crooked grin crept up on the king's face as he stared back at The Hatter across the way.

"I'm sure I'm just going to love this." Charming laughed.

**Don't forget to shoot me a comment if you have something you need to get out. Ooor if you have some ideas for how anything should go from here. I just love hearing from you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just some banter to keep you amused. This chapter should clear up a few things for my readers who absolutely need a logical explanation for everything. Happy reading. =) **

12

"You do realize that I don't have a clue how to be in love, right?" Emma said when she was sure no one else was around.

"What ever do you mean, dear?" The brunette looked hard at the woman, not sure if she was serious.

"I mean, the closest I have ever been to 'in love' was with Neal… and we see how that turned out. "

"Do I look like Baelfire to you?" The sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Well, no, of course not, I know you aren't him but that doesn't change anything."

"We broke the curse, Miss Swan… with true love… how does that not change anything?"

"It doesn't make me suck any less at relationships and right now, my main focus is our son."

"Emma." She looked up and met the blonde's green eyes. "Your focus has always been Henry, as has mine. We have always worked together for the good of our son. We have always fought for him." She paused, shaking her head. "And secondly, I do not recall asking for a relationship." She cocked her head to the side and stared at the blonde.

"Isn't that how this works? True love equals relationship… but usually it's the other way around…no?" she replied with a lifted brow.

"Not necessarily… In case you have forgotten, I have little experience with this, as well."

"At least you know what love is…"

"Again, you forget, I have loved… actually loved three people in my whole life." Regina looked down.

"Who? That stable boy and who else?"

"Our son and my father. Well, make that four. You, you are four."

Looking around at the now abandoned room, Emma took a deep breath and settled onto the cot that she and Regina had moved to. It was surprisingly comfortable for a straw stuffed cushion. She picked at her thumb nail, avoiding the gaze of the woman she sat next to.

"Emma, this shouldn't be awkward… we have handled more difficult situations…" Regina started.

"No, yea, I know. It's just weird, ya know? I mean we hardly know each other." The blonde mumbled, still refusing to look up.

"That is not true."

"What is my favorite color?" Emma's tone was snarky and the brunette scrunched her nose at the question.

"Red."

"Now, how would you know that?" Emma turned, a bit surprised.

"Miss Swan, why else would you be so obsessed with that hideous leather jacket? And I happen to have noticed that after I started wearing red lipstick instead of that dark, purplish color, you took to staring at my mouth… constantly." She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay well… What…" The blonde started again, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Good lord." Regina laughed. "How about this… You like cinnamon on everything hot beverage related. You hate to read anything that doesn't have pictures. Your second favorite color is yellow because you always think of that shitty car you drive and that you see it as home, no matter where you sleep. You like… what are they called? Skinny jeans?" The queen paused in thought, looking to Emma for conformation. "Yes, skinny jeans, you like wearing them because you feel like you can move easier in them… not that I am complaining…. Ahem. You love lasagna, more specifically my lasagna, because you like the kick of the red pepper flakes… so much so, in fact, that you have taken to making your own in my style. You aren't a morning person, though you pretend to be..."

Emma stared at the woman with an open mouth. _How in the hell does she know all this? I don't know the first thing about her._ She shook her head. "Alright, I get it."

"Are you quite sure, because I can go on… It is amazing what you can learn from someone when you just pay attention…"

"No, obviously you know more about me than I do about you." She looked down, sort of ashamed at not paying more attention to the woman.

"Well, if you feel like you know nothing, ask questions, my dear."

"Eh… I, um… When did this happen for you?"

"This, Miss Swan? Diving right in aren't we?" Regina cocked her head slightly and smiled.

"Yea, you know… this." Emma waved her hand back and forth between them.

"Oh. Well, that is a long story, indeed ." She said looking down at her hands that where folded neatly in her lap.

"Just… please, Regina."

"I…" The brunette sighed deeply. Looking up, she saw that Emma was staring at her. Their eyes met and a warmth bubbled through the woman, starting at her stomach. "It was all aesthetic at first, I must admit." She said firmly. "When you first arrived, I noticed right away that you were probably the most attractive thing I had ever seen."

Emma scoffed. "That's why you were banging Graham."

"You make do with what you have, dear… desperate times… I mean twenty eight years…."

"Whatever, continue." She shook her head.

Regina gathered her courage for a moment before barreling on. "After I convinced you to drink with me that night, I was a bit tipsy. When escorting you from the sitting room, I found myself staring at your backside." Her cheeks were growing warm and she stared back at her lap to hide it. "It dawned on me that I had an interest in you, that night but I shook it off. You were a threat and I had to keep Henry. To keep his love. So, I made your life difficult. I wanted you gone… Because Henry is more important to me than an attractive woman. But, after all that time of terrorizing you, I found that it was quite fun getting a rise out of you. I must say, Miss Swan, you are incredibly attractive when you are angry." She looked up and Emma laughed, thinking of how much she too enjoyed making the woman angry.

"Is something funny, Dear?"

"No, but hang on a second… Why did you kill Graham if you weren't in love with him? I mean… you knocked the shit out of me for being close to him… jealousy…"

"Because he was remembering… He was a threat and that jealousy you saw… that was not because you were close to him… it was because he loved you and I could see it… I did control his heart after all… I knew he had kissed you… I thought I wanted him… until you came along and then he was, well, in my way." she said biting her cheek.

"Wow. You have a funny way of showing affection."

"I regret that, now, I will admit. And I am very sorry for attacking you… I was confused and tormented, obviously… "

"Mhm."

"Hey." Regina shot. "You have got me back for that twice over. I was the one bleeding, if you recall. You have a decent swing."

"Your fault. You started it… every time, actually."

"Anyway…" she stared back at the blonde beside her. " I continued to gander at you when I could risk it. It was merely lust for ages. Until the day our son thought it was a bright idea to go get himself trapped with the cricket… that was the day the deal was sealed for me, really. You were so passionate… mmm… the way you looked at me, you weren't even threatened when I invaded your space. You have never once backed down from me. I was fairly certain that you were going to kiss me that day, actually." She paused. When she saw that Emma was smiling, she considered it an acknowledgement and went on.

"And then there was the day that those idiots set off the detonator. That was a terrible day. I just knew I was going to die without ever having told you how I felt. But instead… you… we, we connected our magic. That day, I knew that we were meant to be together, magic typically doesn't lie. But how do you tell someone that you're supposed to hate, that in reality… you love them?" She shook her head. "So, I kept it in. We went to that stupid Neverland and it was unbearable. You and that moron, Hook. Disgusting. I just could not handle the pain of seeing you two and your googley eyes, so I found Gold… Good thing too. He would have got us killed had I not exposed that shadow to him… What a fool" She looked straight ahead, gathering herself. "And, had I not left, my secret would have been out… because then, I would have been forced to expose that secret, my deepest in fact, in the echo cave… That I, The Evil Queen, was madly in love with the daughter of Snow white…The Savior. How terribly awkward would that have been? Myself, Hook aaaand Neal all in the same place? Gracious." She laughed. "There would have been blood for certain. I mean David would have tried to murder me… after your mother had a coronary. Could you imagine?!"

Emma was laughing so hard that no sound was coming from her mouth and tears streamed down her face. Regina, having seen her reaction, allowed herself to laugh at the thought, as well. For a solid minute, they laughed.

"Ahem. Anyway, in Neverland I realized that you were my weakness. That I wanted you so badly that I had to separate myself from you to think clearly. I could have killed that damn pirate so many times…."

"Okay, okay so why then didn't you tell me when you sent Henry and me off then? When you knew that I wasn't interested in either of them?"

"Why would I want to put that on you or myself for that matter? I didn't want my last moments with you to have potentially been a rejection riddled disaster. I already had to let you, and my son go… I couldn't have handled the look on your face if you didn't feel the same and in all honesty… I had no idea. You wouldn't have remembered anyway, but I would have. I didn't want to ruin it. I'm selfish. The reason I didn't tell you is because I couldn't handle the thought of having to keep that memory, potentially the last memory of you, as one where you tell me that everything I had hoped… was a lie." Her lip quivered slightly as she finished.

"I get it." Emma reached a hand over and set it on Regina's knee. "No, I get it. I mean, I felt the same then but I don't even know how I would have reacted. I understand. I mean, shit, having to come out in front of literally my whole family, minutes before they would never see me again… I don't even know." Both women were silent for a bit before Emma piped up once more, in her classic sporadic way.

"But Regina, I remembered. How did I remember? I mean, the dreams… was that all you or…"

"No. Thank god. You have magic… Your magic fought mine and preserved our final moments. Some of that was me… but mostly it was you. I only started trying to contact you here recently, had I been trying all along, I would have lost my magic by now."

"Oh. Well, let me just say, I was sure I was losing it. How often does one person fantasize about someone they don't know or think they don't know, at least?"

"You would be surprised, Miss Swan." A smirk grew on the woman's face as she turned back to the blonde.

Leaning in towards the woman, Regina stopped merely inches from the blonde's face. "You would be very surprised." She whispered.

Emma let her head fall to rest her forehead on Regina's. They shared a smile before the blonde closed her eyes and sighed. "Ya know, despite the whole killing people thing and the terribly abusive compulsions you tend to have… had… you are perfect." She whispered softly.

"Your definition of perfect needs some serious work." The brunette laughed.

They moved closer to each other, pushing their sides against one another. Emma could feel the queen's hand move gently up her back and rest firmly on her side, pulling her closer. Out of instinct, the blonde reached over taking the woman's tan hand in her own.

#

"Must I always have to do everything?" Gold mumbled, lifting the pirate off the floor. "You can't just leave him here." Dragging Hook by the shoulders, Gold got him to a cot. He held a hand over the man's bandaged wound. A glowing was expelled from his fingers and onto the area. "He will come around, just keep an eye on him until he wakes, then come get me."

"Yes, Dark One."The dwarf responded, bowing his head. The others lurking around were watching the exchange.

"Alright, lets get something straight…" The man turned, raising his voice to reach all corners of the house. "I am not The Dark One, I am Rumplestiltskin. You may call me Mr. Gold if it is easier for you. There will be no more of this Dark One nonsense. That monster is dead." Swiveled back to Doc and smiled, dropping his voice back to normal. "Don't forget to come to me when he awakens."

The dwarf nodded and Gold turned to leave. Taking a step forward, the other dwarfs parted and Gold bowed his head. _They are never going to get it. _He thought to himself as he left the room, silently.

"Whats going on?" Mulan stared wide-eyed and out of breath, having ran in from outside. "I heard yelling."

"Nothing of concern, Dearie. I was just explaining to the dwarfs that I am not the Dark One any longer." He said casually.

"You're not?" Her face twisted in confusion.

He waved his hand out to the side before speaking. "Obviously I am." He bobbed his head. "I have the powers but I do not wish to be referred to as such, that man is dead. I no longer wish to carry the negative connotation of the name, you see?"

"Oh." She looked down. "Then what…"

"Rumple or Mr. Gold will do." He said, walking past the woman. Her soft smile at his words had not gone unnoticed.

#

"No trouble in paradise, I see." Rumple squeaked grandly as he walked in to find Emma and Regina cuddled on the cot.

"Gold." The brunette mumbled. Emma remained silent, perfectly content where she was.

"Who would have thought that the _Evil Queen_ would find twue love in none other than the savior herself?" He giggled.

Regina arched a brow at him as Emma straightened up. "Listen Gold, I am in no mood for your snarky shit…" The blonde started.

"So…" He paused. "Hostile." Smiling he sat down in front of the cot, facing the ladies.

Regina had long sense put on a straight face but she was thoroughly amused by the man's ability to get the blonde fired up so easily. Emma, on the other hand, looked like she might fly off her seat after the man. He sat like a child watching his favorite television show.

"In all seriousness, Dearies, I am happy for you. Of course…" he waved his hand through the air. "I knew this day would come."

Emma's features softened as she remembered the night she passed out in the park. "It was you." She said stiffly.

"Me?!" He brought his hand to his chest and dropped his mouth open dramatically.

"In the park, Gold. You hit me with some powdery shit and knocked me out."

"Right, you are." He smiled.

"Why? Why didn't you just tell me who you were?"

"Like that would have accomplished anything." He said rolling his eyes. "I had been watching you all week, Miss Swan. I saw how those fools stalked from your building. I saw Belle's face as she bickered at Mulan all the way to the ship. And I certainly saw Henry sneak out to the beach, there. You wouldn't have listened to me."

"You have been stalking me?" she hissed through her teeth.

"I don't know that I would call it _stalking _really, just keeping an eye on you and my grandson until I could come back here." He smiled, pointing his hands all around him.

Emma was about to speak but Regina beat her to it. "You were trapped there? In New York?" She asked, shocked.

"But of course, Dearie. I come from a land without magic. After I took off with dear old dad, I went back to Storybrooke to find that I was too late to be shipped back with you lovely bunch of people. So, I went in search of our Miss Swan, here."

"But If you were in New York the whole time… did you not have magic?" Emma asked.

"Sure didn't."

"Then what did you knock me out with, Gold?" Her eyes fell into a skeptical squint as she awaited his reply.

"Poppie dust, of course. I am no idiot, dearie. I do know my way around a magic-less realm… as I am from one."

"Okay then… why knock me out?"

"I needed you to sleep. Why else?" He grinned, tapping his fingertips together playfully.

"Seriously."

"I took residence in the building across the street from yours, to keep an eye on you. Every time Regina appeared to you, I could feel it. Your magic is strong and though I was unable to use mine, I could feel the both of yours in the air. I figured she was coming to you in your sleep and with all the idiots running around trying to ship you off…" He twisted a finger in the air. "I figured I would let the queen tell you herself."

Regina was staring at the man. She had no idea that he had put her under so that she could speak to her. Snow, Regina and Leroy had been walking through the woods by chance when Emma materialized that night. They knew she wasn't actually there but Regina had decided she should be the one to wake her, being the only one she would recognize at all.

"How did you know I would find her?" Regina asked.

"What is that disgusting phrase?" He looked to Emma. "Oh yes!" He lifted his voice to a pitch to mimic Snow's voice. "I will find you, I will always find you."

Regina rolled her eyes and scoffed. She was so tired of that line. "Be serious, Gold. How did you know?"

"I didn't." He shrugged. "I made the powder potent enough to keep her out for a while… Long enough for you to find her. Had it not started to rain, she would have been under much longer."

"You were just going to leave me in a park, knocked out, in the middle of New York City… In the dead of night?! Do you have any idea…" Emma was livid.

"I do, Dearie. That's why I enlisted Miss Lucas. I found her roaming around after Hook showed up. I found out that she had hidden in the Jolly Roger without being invited… so, no one would miss her. She protected you the whole time." He said, puffing his chest out. "I would never put you in harm's way, Miss Swan."

"Yea, unless it involves a very pissed off dragon." The blonde snapped.

"Yes, yes. Let us never forget about the time I offered you up a tied up queen to do with what you pleased." He giggled.

"You have got to be kidding me." Regina rolled her eyes.

"How did you get back here, Gold? I mean if you didn't have magic, how did you and Ruby get back?" Emma asked, shaking off his last comment.

"When that clumsy giant ran after you, he dropped his purse. It was lying in the sand, and it had a bean in it. If not for that, we would be walking around New York like Hopper and Pongo, still."

"Ruby would have stayed a wolf?" Emma blinked.

"The form you come in, the form you say in."

"God." Emma sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. "I don't care. No more. Just, no more. I'm here now, everything is fine. We just have to get Henry and whoever else so that we can move on with our lives."

"Have you thought about maybe how Henry will take this new found love between his mothers?" He asked, raising a brow at the couple.

The women looked to each other and then back at the man still sitting cross legged in the floor in front of them. Emma chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to play out the scenario in her head.

"Henry is a pretty progressive boy, Mr. Gold. I think we will be just fine." Regina smiled at the man.

When Emma looked down and saw that the man wore an evil grin, she pulled her shoulders back. "If you know something that we don't you better tell us now…"

"Ah, Ah, Ah Dearie. To tell of the future would alter it and we wouldn't want that now would we?" He shook his finger at the blonde.

"Rules are meant to be broken." Emma growled.

"Yes, yes I know... But, alas I haven't seen that part of the future. I just get a kick out of ruffling the royal feathers." He laughed.

Emma's face reddened. "You're an asshole, Gold." She huffed. Regina patted the blonde's leg.

"You'll learn to tell when he is being a dick. One day your super power might work on him." The brunette chuckled.

**I know dialogue gets boring...Next chapter, we will launch back into some action as we start our journey to save Henry... again... Kid needs a lot of saving apparently. Thanks for reading. -DR**


	13. Chapter 13

**Another double chapter deal. 13 and 14 were one, really long chapter. I really must stop doing that. I'm pulling in new characters with these two, hope you approve. Happy reading! **

13.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Hook sat up in the bed, looking around at the dwarfs that surrounded his cot.

"Well, Captain, you passed out while Mulan was fixing you up." Doc said softly.

Hook raised his hand to his face and pressed against is sore head. "Bloody women, they are all out to murder me." He mumbled, peeking out from between spread fingers. He suddenly felt very awkward. The little men still hadn't moved from around him.

"Hey, do I look like Snow White to you? Bugger off, chaps."

"We were told by The Da…" looking down, Doc corrected himself. "Rumplestiltskin… to keep an eye on you. Stay here, I have to notify him that you have awakened." He said, moving to the door.

"And why does the crocodile need to be aware of what I do?" Hook asked, frowning. He slid his boots off the bed and stood swaying slightly.

"I'm… I'm not sure but you have to stay here while I get him."

Hook stumbled to the door and passed the man in his path. "I think not, ole' boy, I'll tell him me self."

"No, please, you will anger him…." Doc pleaded, with fear in his eyes.

"Good." He said over his shoulder as he walked away, leaving the dwarfs wide-eyed in his wake.

#

"Oi, Scaley, you can rest easy, I live." He announced, walking in to where Emma, Regina and Gold sat.

Looking down, Hook met Emma's surprised eyes. He teetered on his heels for a moment before taking in what was happening. "Miss Swan. You're Majesty." He bowed. His eyes fixed on Emma, he shook his head. "Pardon my intrusion, Lassies. I was told that Rumplestiltskin wished to be informed of my consciousness."

"Indeed." Gold mumbled as he stood. "I am now to assume, that the dwarfs cannot take proper orders."

Regina glanced from Hook to Emma. Their eye contact made her uneasy. The tips of her ears became red as he slid her hand down the blonde's jean clad leg. The contact broke Emma's gaze. She turned to the brunette and smiled gently. Once Emma realized what the look on the woman's face meant, her smile fell into a frown.

"No." the blonde whispered, squeezing the hand on her thigh.

Silent, Regina focused her eyes on the floor in front of her. She didn't know what to say. Hook, realizing what was happening, passed Gold to kneel on the floor in front of the women. Regina looked up at him, anger flicked in her eyes. Boldly, he reached up to Emma, taking her hand off of Regina's and held it loosely in his own. He then took up Regina's in the same hand he held the blonde's. The queen cringed at his touch but didn't pull away. The women both sat silent, staring down at the man.

"Listen, lovelies, you don't have to worry about me, either of you." He looked to Regina. "I love Emma, saying otherwise would be a blatant lie. But Regina, M'Queen, you don't have to worry about me. I wouldn't dare try to interfere with true love. I am a man of honor, to pursue my feelings would be obviously bad form."

Regina stared down at the man, obviously surprised by him bluntness. She then turned to Emma who appeared equally as shocked as she was. The blonde ached a brow in response to her lover's gaze and then looked back to the man holding their hands.

"I obviously don't love Hook. There is no question there." She said with a straight face. Turning to the woman next to her, she pulled their hands from Hook. "I love you. I might not know what to do with it yet but I can tell you with complete confidence that I really do. I am in no way interested in him. I promise you that." She said softy, looking into the queen's caramel eyes. "I don't even know if I can handle you yet, but I'm going to try. We are going to do this… If you want to."

Rumple standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, listened to the exchange. He was surprised by the pirate's actions but Emma took the gold. He was even more surprised that she was now admitting her love for Regina with an audience, without falter. He proudly watched on, smiling, as he witnessed the queen blush hard.

Regina remained silent, looking down. Hook stood and nodded to Emma as he turned to leave. He had made it to the door before Gold caught his elbow. "You need to hear this." Gold whispered bringing his finger to his own mouth and then pointing to the couple who hadn't paid attention to the boys at all.

"Regina, please. I need you to trust me."

"But I do, Dear. I just… I don't know how to love very well. I get jealous, I am so afraid of opening up… Of giving in to these emotions because I know that the second I open up, you can just walk away… When I see the way you interact with people, not just the pirate, it worries me. I know it is just how you are but I can't shake the feeling."

"I feel like you may be a little bipolar." Emma said with a smile. Regina sat silent again.

"Look, I wouldn't do that to you. You need to see that." The blonde continued. "Okay, let's do this… we don't have to do a relationship, because I suck so hard at those… But, we can make this work. We can make it work as long as that's what you want." Emma said, lifting Regina's face to meet her gaze.

"It is."

Hook turned his face away from the women, he didn't want to hear anything further. As he started to walk away, Rumple grabbed his by the arm yet again, spinning him around and making him watch as the women shared a tender kiss and sat wrapped in each other's arms.

"Enough, Crocodile, I get it." Hook whispered, staring the man in the face. Pulling away from the man's grip the pirate walked to the next room. When Gold followed in behind him, Hook turned to him. "I meant what I said. I would never get between them." He said flatly.

"Let us hope not." Rumple replied. "Because I will tell you now Dearie, Regina will not hesitate to kill you."

"Why can't a man and woman just be friends, Honestly?!"

"It doesn't work that way, I am afraid."

"It that so? Because Belle and I have grown quiet close since you have been away."

"Do not try to get a rise out of me, pirate. I do not dictate who Belle pals around with."

"I am simply stating that men and women can be just friends, Rumplestiltskin. We have fought side by side, protected each other. We are friends."

"Fine, fine." Gold said waving his hand around. "Enough of this. You got my point. Now, are you well enough to move out?"

"Move out?" Hook asked, puzzled.

"I want to get a head start on the others. Our group is the most powerful, we will be able to clear a safe passage for the White Queen and her company."

"I see. Have you spoken to anyone else of this plan?"

"Belle knows and will inform Snow White after our departure. I will gather the ladies if you go get Bae." Rumple said quietly as to not be over heard.

"Aye." Hook said, spinning around. "What was it that you needed me for?"

"You already know." Gold grinned, victorious.

#

"Alright Dearies, we are heading out now. Are you both fit for battle?" Gold asked the still seated women.

"Heading out? All of us? We just calmed down." Emma blurted, looking to Regina.

"Miss Swan, the Wicked Witch and her creatures do not sleep." He said firmly.

Regina simply nodded to the man. Emma sat staring at him, trying to find her words.

"Okay, I'll find Snow." She said, standing.

"No, it will just be our group. We will head out first and take the lead. She mustn't know."

"But why?" Emma looked as if she could cry. Leaving her mother without her knowledge, to face whatever dangers were ahead was not ideal for her.

"She will hold us back. We are by far the most efficient group, she will want to play by the books and we don't have time for that." He said shaking his head.

"Who is we, exactly?" She asked.

"You two, Bae, the pirate, Ruby and myself."

"You're joking?" she raised her eyebrows high.

"Is there a problem, Miss Swan?" He tilted his head at her.

She shook her head. "No."

"Lovely, we will leave at dark."

Gold walked out without another word. Emma, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, let out a sigh.

"What is it?" The brunette asked, standing up and joining the woman.

"I just… I don't really know."

Regina pulled the blonde into a hug. "We will get him back and return safely. Don't worry about that." She whispered, close to Emma's ear.

The heat from the brunette's mouth settled onto the blonde's skin, sending chills across her body. She turned her head slightly, her mouth was so close to Regina's at that point that she could feel the warmth radiating from her lips. Smiling, Emma looked down, and then pulled back.

"I have to talk to Snow." The blonde mumbled, pulling completely away from the woman.

"Very well, Dear." Regina stated before she turned dramatically and disappeared into a purple cloud.

"I will never get used to that." Emma said, shaking her head.

#

"A word, Lad." Hook mumbled, pulling Neal from his conversation with Mulan and Robin.

"Oh. Okay." Neal said surprised. "I, uh, I'll be right back." He said smiling to the woman.

Mulan nodded and Neal took off in the direction Hook was going. The captain stopped in the now deserted main room. Turning to his companion, he dropped his voice to little more than a whisper. "We are leaving at dusk, tell no one. Your father wishes to get a jump on the journey before the other parties move out."

"Why? We are safer together." Confusion spread across Neal's face.

"I don't question the crocodile much anymore, he has his reasons."

"I guess. Is Emma coming with us?"

"Of course. She isn't going to leave her queen's side. I must inform you that they have admitted their love for each other…" He put his hand on Neal's shoulder. "You can't go there."

"I, uh, I hadn't planned on it. I know she wants Regina."

"I'm just telling you mate, you will regret it."

"Look, man, I have already backed off. I don't want trouble. We are done here." Neal said, walking away.

"Oh, one more thing." Hook called.

"What is it?" Neal asked over his shoulder.

"The Warrior is not interested in you, m'boy. I hope you aren't too invested."

"You're an idiot." Neal laughed before leaving Hook standing alone, shaking his head.

#

"Hey." Emma stood leaned against the door jamb of Snow White's tiny, secluded bedroom.

Snow looked up with a start, having not noticed the woman standing there. She held a slip of parchment in her hands. Looking down, she quickly rolled it and tucked it into the waist-belt around her vest.

"Emma." Snow smiled, happily. "Whats up?"

"Nothing, really." The blonde said looking around. "I just haven't seen you much since I um… got my memories back."

"That is my fault." Snow whispered.

"What?"

"Emma, I am so happy that you are back and I am happy that you are happy… I'm just not ready to see you two together, just yet." She said, looking down, obviously ashamed.

"It's fine. I get it. Every mother's greatest fear is that their child will grow up outside of the plans that we have for them. Obviously you expected me to find a cute prince or whatever and settle down and know that it won't happen stings. I know that and I'm sorry but true love apparently had a different plan. And I know that you miss David, I understand. Snow, we _will_ find him… and Henry… and the others."

"No, I know. It's complicated, Emma. Just know that I love you, no matter what, okay?"

"Well, yea." The blonde laughed.

"Just be safe. Please. I can't be there to protect you so, please just take care of yourself."

"Hey, I love you too, okay. And I am always safe." She smirked.

"Uh huh." Snow pulled her lips into a smile. "You better go get some sleep. We move out tomorrow so, go rest up."

Emma nodded. "You be careful too, okay?"

"Always."

"Hey, Emma shouldn't you be…" Ruby started, when she saw Emma standing half in the hall.

Emma shot a wide-eyed glare at the woman to stop her chatter. "I'll be in, in a few."

"Okay." She smiled, padding down the hall.

"Anyway, we got this." Emma beamed back at her mother.

Snow hadn't missed the strange exchange between the women but she didn't question it. "I know." She said, waving her hand in the air. "Now go, I will see you in the morning."

#

"Really, Rubes?" Emma snapped as she turned the corner into the room where the group had gathered.

"How was I supposed to know you were talking to Snow?"

"You have supersonic hearing… you have no excuse." Emma glared.

"Really though, I had no idea you were talking to her. Sorry." She shrugged.

"Are we finished, Ladies?" Regina cut in. "We are going to clear out by magic. I have informed Tinkerbell that we will be leaving. She will put the barrier back in place once we are out."

Emma walked over to the table and took up the sword that Mulan has given her days before. She unsheathed it and turned the blade over in her fist. For a moment she looked at her refection in the polished metal. _Man, I look rough._ She thought to herself as she silently she slid the metal back into its leather sleeve. Walking back over to the group, she fastening the belt tight around her hips. She looked up just in time to see a smile creep across Regina's face. The blonde looked into her lover's eyes and watched her pupils dilate. A familiar tingle started in her stomach as the goose bumps covered her skin. She shook her head and pulled her mouth into a crooked smile.

Neal too had acquired a sword. He stood proud with its length resting at his side, his hand perched on the ball atop the hilt. He looked so strange with a weapon, to Emma. She looked over to Ruby who covertly smelled of the air around her. With a giant wolf-like grin, the girl nodded her head at Emma who then instantly turned red.

"We will move on to the town three ridges over before we bunk down for the night and because the Witch has spies everywhere, we will be doing so without the use of magic." Gold added.

Regina, who was still focused on Emma, watched as the blonde flushed. She turned to see that Ruby was smiling freakishly and nodding at her. _What the hell is going on?_ She thought as she turned back to Emma who was now staring a hole in the floor boards. Regina shook her head, she had no idea what had happened. She made a mental note to ask, later.

"Ruby, you will scout ahead and report back to Neal who will report to us, we will all stay hidden until we get to the town." The queen said emotionlessly.

"I will then cloak our appearances before entering the town. We will see each other for who we are but no one else will recognize us." Gold finished.

Regina nodded. "Any questions? No? Alright. Miss Lucas, Emma, with me." She said holding out her hands.

The women joined her, taking her hands. With a quiet hiss, soft, purple haze filled in around them. Then they were gone.

"Alright boys, let's go." Gold said, touching both Neal and Hook on the shoulders.

"Wait!" Belle called, running into the room. She threw her arms around the oldest man and kissed him passionately. "You better come back to me, Rumplestiltskin." She said.

"Of course I will. Dearest Belle. Stay safe. I will see you soon." He smiled.

"I love you, please do be careful."

He waved a hand in front of him. "I am always careful." He kissed her once more and stepped back, taking the boys again by the shoulder. "I love you too." He said with a warm smile. Within seconds, golden swirls tangled around the trio and then they too were gone.

#

Regina and Emma stood under the shadow of a large oak tree as Ruby scampered up the hillside.

"What was that little incident back there?" The brunette asked quietly, aware of the wolf's incredible hearing.

"What incident?"

"Do not play stupid with me, Miss Swan. I haven't seen you that embarrassed in, well, ever."

Emma sighed and moved closer to Regina so that she could whisper in the woman's ear. "Her sense of smell is just as good as her hearing."

"Her sense of smell? What the hell are you talking about?"

"She could smell you… us." The blonde said, felling her ears start to burn.

"I'm not understanding." Regina said, crossing her arms.

"She could smell the, uh, excitement."

"Excitement? Emma really, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh for the love of god Regina, you were obviously turned on which turned me on, Ruby could smell it." She mumbled quickly, obviously annoyed.

"Oh wow." The brunette's brown eyes grew wide and her mouth opened to speak but she closed it again and shook her head. There was a flash of light as the boys appeared standing in front of them. Regina sighed, audibly.

"Shall we?" Rumple asked bowing to the women.

Without a word, they filed out up the hill behind Ruby. Neal ran up behind her and the rest followed silently, Hook took up the back of the line. The air was cold against Neal's face as he danced around from shadow to shadow. Looking back, all he could see was the dark emptiness of a meadow. Tinkerbell had recloaked the area making it invisible to outsiders. Taking a deep breath, he kept moving forward.

The group had moved swiftly and silently for what seemed like hours. Emma, Regina, Hook and Mr. Gold had reached the valley between the first and second ridge when Neal came barreling down the hill in front of them. It was so dark they almost couldn't see his face.

"What is it, Bae?" Gold asked quietly.

"Ruby said that she is picking up a very heavy scent of blood. She thinks there are monkeys on the other side of this hill." He said, between breaths.

"Alright, lets do this." Regina said, opening and closing her hand.

"No magic, Regina." Gold whispered.

"I have no other weapon, Gold."

"How is your aim?" he asked.

Neal had run back up the hill and Emma stood as still as she could while still watching her surroundings. Her heart was pounding against her ribs as she took slow, steady breaths. Straining her ears against the night, she couldn't hear anything but Neal's steps and the whispers of her two companions.

"I am the que… was the queen. I have fantastic aim."

"And your night vision?"

"Fine, Gold. What are you getting at?" she huffed

He pulled a black bow from the air between them. No smoke, no dramatics, just a bow. With his other hand, he withdrew a basket of arrows in the same fashion.

"You said no magic!" she snapped.

"My magic isn't like yours, dearie. We cannot draw attention to ourselves and no offence but you are not subtle. Now, any of these arrows will reach their target as long as they are fired from this bow." He said holding the items out to her.

She swung the arrow filled basket over her shoulder and onto her back. "Is this the bow I think it is?" she whispered.

"Depends, what bow would that be?"

"Belle told me about the outlaw."

"Ah." He twisted a finger in the air. "That would be the one."

She smiled as she lined the bow up in front of her with her left hand and pulled the sting back with her right, resting her fingers to her cheek bone. She stared off past the wood, into the trees, before lowering the weapon. "This is going to be fun."

#

As the group quickly made their way to the peak of the hill, the heavy smell of blood made it into their nostrils. Emma swallowed hard, trying not to gag. She could handle all the gore in the world but the smells all but killed her stomach. Regina, seeing the blonde's struggle, removed a baggy from her breast pocket. Opening it, she dipped her finger into the bag. When she withdrew it, colorless liquid shined on her finger tip. Emma was about to speak when the queen stopped her. As Regina ran her finger across the blonde's upper lip, the metallic smell dulled significantly. Emma looked perplexed as the brunette walked away without a word and joined the others.

Gold drew his sword and Regina moved under a nearby tree, overlooking the valley below. Neal stood with his hand around the hilt of his weapon and Ruby fell onto all fours, letting herself turn. She had learned to control her curse so well that she could change at will, days after the full moon had passed, after her cycle was done.

Emma walked up to the group and looked over the hill. Her eyes scanned across dozens of monkeys, picking through what could only be the remains of unlucky travelers on the path below. Taking a deep breath she drew her sword. Looking to her queen, the blonde smiled before disappearing over the edge. Regina watched, arrow drawn, waiting for Ruby to take first blood. She could see Emma sneaking around behind the boys. Hook kept looking back to the blonde and Regina could see it. She shook it out of her mind as she refocused on the task ahead. Just then a growl echoed in the air. Ruby had made first move. Regina took a deep breath and held it, searching for a target.

Hook and Emma cut down beasts as fast as they could, the fought back to back as to not miss anything coming at them. Gold had gone off ahead; his bade hissed through the air before making contact with the chest of a creature that was in mid air. Another came screeching up behind him and he turned just in time to cut it across the stomach, red liquid flew from his blade as he destroyed one after the other.

Neal found himself lying on his back as a monkey, being held at a full arm's reach, clawed at him and screamed in his face. The man grunted as he tried to hold off the creature. His arms where shaking with fatigue and his grip on the animal was slipping, he moaned loudly as he attempted to shove it off of him once more. An arrow flew through the air and made its way into the back of the monkey's head, spraying Neal with blood. He looked up to see Regina grabbing another arrow from behind her.

I was very dark, making it hard for any of them to see very well but they did not waver in their attack on the offending creatures. Screams echoed through the valley as monkeys continued to fall. Regina had taken to shooting them out of the air, before they could make it to their targets. Monkey corpses littered the ground around the group.

As the valley grew quiet, Regina slowly made her way down the hill, her bow was still drawn, waiting for an attacker. When she made it to the group, she began pulling her arrows from the lifeless beings under her feet and dropping the blood covered projectiles back into her basket. Rumple walked around, pushing his blade into anything that could still breathe and Neal sat silently on the ground, waiting to move on. Hook took the opportunity to search the remains of the attacked travelers, beneath the layer of dead monkeys.

"Got this for you." He smiled holding out a flask to the queen.

"I don't do rum, Hook." She said softly.

"That's why this is yours, it's tequila." He pulled his features into a frown. "Disgusting, dog piss, you ask me."

"On second thought...I'm sure I will be wanting this later." She said, tucking it away on the side of the leather basket that held her arrows.

She turned to see Emma leaning again the base of a tree and the brunette joined her. They stood there in silence as Rumple migrated back around to where they had gathered. Ruby had become human again and was now scouting ahead.

"Her metabolism is amazing." He said pointing a thumb up the hill at Ruby who was already half way to the ridge.


	14. Chapter 14

14

The group moved quickly and quietly up the hill behind the girl who was making far better time than they were. The smell of smoke was thick in the air, suggesting that they were coming up on the town they were in search of. Ruby stopped on the top of the hill and looked down over the seemingly destroyed town. Neal skidded to a stop, next to her. Emma bend over, taking a deep breath.

"This is where you think we are sleeping?" She wheezed.

Regina, coming up behind the blonde, gasped. "I did this." She whispered, shaking her head.

Rumple put a gentle hand on her back. "Do not look back in regret, Regina, only look forward with hope." He whispered low in her ear. She turned to see him smiling sympathetically in her direction. She looked away as he patted her on the shoulder blade.

"Alright, pair up and stay together and no matter what, you follow my lead. We have no idea who is hiding down there." Rumple said waving his hands over the group. A shimmering light fell on them, alerting them of the new change to their physical appearance. They looked around at each other, trying to see any differences. "Did I not say that we would appear the same to one another?" Rumple droned. "Shall we?" He added, annoyed.

Ruby and Neal lead pack, Regina and Emma followed close behind and Hook and Gold kept a good distance behind the others, both limping like old men. Upon entrance to the town, they looked around at the abandoned houses and building still half destroyed by the original dark curse. It was a ghost town.

"Hello?" Emma called from the middle of the group. "Please, anyone, we are looking for shelter."

Ruby halted, listening for movement from anywhere around her. Her eyes rested on what looked like a courthouse, it was familiar to her. As she continued her observation, it dawned on her that she knew where they were, this town was once her village.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Come on, no one is here." Ruby called up, relaxing a bit.

"Where are we going?" Neal asked, noticing the Ruby was now on a mission, moving quickly, light on her feet.

"This is home." She whispered. "Well, was home."

Neal remained silent, looking back to Regina and the blonde who followed closely behind them. Past the women, he could see his father and the pirate, not much further back. Emma had heard the exchange between Neal and Ruby. As she looked around in shock, she wondering if the woman had known it had been destroyed or if she had been back since they were sent back to the forest but she kept it to herself.

As they approached a large wooden building, Ruby slowed. Throwing her hand in the air she halted the traffic behind her. Everyone was silent. Looking around, she could hear nothing, but a different smell caught her attention. It was musky, obviously a human or multiple humans. Turning to Neal, she brought her finger to her lips and then turned to do the same to the group, now gathered behind her. Emma drew her sword and stood waiting. Ruby put her palm in the air as to tell the blonde that there she was to stay put before tiptoeing over to the door of the building and pushing it open.

She was met with the faces of more than a dozen men gathered in the back of the room. A few held torches that cased light on the woman's face. She turned just in time to have a rather burly man grab her around the shoulders. He man pressed a short blade to her cheek but said nothing.

Ruby's eyes began to glow yellow as the adrenaline surged through her body. She swallowed down the urge to turn over and attack the man. "Easy, Fella, I don't want trouble." She said with a shaking voice.

An equally large man stepped forward from the group and approached her. Knowing better, she resisted the urge to fight off her captor. Instead, she slowly brought her hands up to the air on either side of her, signaling her submission. The man limped across the room, stopping only a few feet from her. She could see that he had golden blonde hair with silver stripes showing through. When the man finally spoke, Ruby had a hard time focusing on his mouth, it was swallowed in a bushy, yellow beard.

"What business do you have here, girl?" He hissed, squinting at her. His voice was deep but there was something gentle about it.

"I am one of a group of six travelers, sir. We were attacked on our journey and we are in search of shelter for the night." She whispered, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Is that so?" The little man looked around. "Who do you travel with?"

"Rum… uh, a band of strangers picked up along the way." She looked down.

"Call to them." He said flatly. "Boys." He pointed to the door and more lager, muscular men gathered on either side of the door.

She rolled her eyes and considered just taking on the men herself. _These fools have no idea what they are about to get themselves into._ She thought.

"Miss Mills, can you and the group join me in here?" Ruby called finally, deciding that this had the potential to be a show that she was willing to watch.

#

"Miss Mills? What the hell?" Emma whispered looking to Regina.

"It's a trap." Gold said, pulling a short knife from his belt and pushing it up his shirt sleeve. "Get ready. Do not attack unless I say." He said walking toward the building.

"Coming!" Regina called back.

Slowly they piled in through the door and into the dimly lit room. Once they were all in, the door slammed behind them and the burly brutes grabbed them, pulling them away from each other and dragging them into a line, all facing the blonde man.

"Who are you?" The man asked, searching the faces displayed in front of him.

"We, we are but weary travelers.." Gold whispered in a faux-trembling tone. "In search of a place to rest."

"Who are you really?" The man said, stepping up into Gold's face.

"He told you!" Emma yelled, twisting aggressively in a man's grip.

"Now, now, little miss, I happen to know quite a bit about how things work around here. No one is really who they seem. Magic is a powerful tool." He smiled, watching Emma struggle.

The blonde man looked over to search Regina's face. He laughed as he watched her anger build. Walking up to where Emma stood, he watched the queen out of the corner of his eye. Her jaw was tight and her eyes piercing. He slowly brought his hand to rest against Emma's fighting face. As she attempted to pull her face from the man, he tightened his fingers around her chin, forcing her to look him in his dark eyes.

"Aren't you a pretty pup." He whispered, slowly bringing his face to hers. The reaction was better than her had hoped.

Regina spun out of the brute's arms and lunged at the blonde man. He jumped backwards, laughing as two more men grabbed at the queen to restrain her. Her face was twisted in rage as she fought against the ever-tightening grip of the men.

"Now, let's see… Mother? No. You're the same age, looks like. Sisters? Maybe. Lovers? More than likely." The blonde man smile, inches from Regina's face.

When no one offered up words, he stood back and looked around again. He saw that the two younger boys were also putting up a fight but nothing compared to how the woman acted. The old man was the only one not looking too displeased.

"What is it, old man? Ready to tell me who you really are?"

"Enough Phoebus." A small voice piped up from behind the man.

"I will find out who they are!" The blonde snapped back, still looking in Gold's eyes. "Iago, bring me the willow bark powder."

A chubby little man with a large nose and unnaturally bright red hair crept over to the man, handing his a leather sack. "Now you're going to pay, nit-whits." The little man squeaked.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Dearie." Gold said quietly to the blonde man.

"And miss out on knowing who stands in my home?! Ha!" He pulled open the mouth of his bag and sprinkled grey ashes into his palm. "This will undo any magic that cloaks you." He smiled.

Regina pulled her shoulders back and waited. _These idiots are going to piss themselves if this works._ She thought, watching the blonde captain stand face to face with Rumplestiltskin. She smiled to herself at the thought of the shock these men would experience.

"Line them up." Phoebus said, excited. "We will start with this boy." He smiled, moving to Hook.

"Boy? You made me a bloody child?" The pirate whined.

The man dusted everyone down the row and stood back, waiting to see who they really were. Hook was first. To the men, he was a teenage blonde boy with one arm. They watched on as his face grew longer, his features more pronounced, a neatly trimmed beard pulling across his jaw line and chin. His blonde, neat hair shot out into thick black chunks and his clothes turned back to their black leather appearance. The dark skinned man holding the pirate gasped as a hook appeared on the end of his arm. The man grabbed it and twisted the pirate into a submissive position.

"Easy mate, that hooks attached!" Jones hissed as he hung his head.

Neal was next in line, his fake thin frame thickened and his dirty blonde hair darkened and grew shorter. He stood motionless and silent, knowing no one knew who he was. At the same time, Ruby's short brown hair grew out long and her dyed red tips returned. Her face thinned and her eyes were now visibly yellow. She looked up at the man who was smiling at her.

"No, you… You are the pretty pup." He whispered.

She bared her teeth at him, revealing rapidly growing canines. Snapping his mouth shut, he turned to the woman in front of him. Emma's blonde hair had already turned and her arms became tone. She stood taller than she did and her facial features softened as her clothes morphed back to her usual tank top and tight jeans. She chewed her bottom lip as she focused on Regina. The Queen was grinning wildly as her skin darkened and her hair receded to its usual shag. Her teeth grew blindingly white and her eyes went from blue to caramel. Her vest cut deep down her chest and a jacket appeared over it. Her tattered pants sewed themselves and turned black.

There was a collective gasp from the men around the room as they recognized her straight off. Phoebus crossed his arms and waited for the oldest man to change. Gold bowed his head. His grey hair grew wavy and long, falling to curtain most of his face. His modest travel cloak morphed into a grand, golden jacked and matching slacks. His hands, resting on his legs, developed longer fingers with dark green nails at the tips. Gold patches flaked his skin, in some places but didn't cover his whole body.

The blonde man stepped closer to Gold. The guard tightened his grip on the older man so he couldn't attack the one who now stood toe to toe with him. "Alright old man, let me see who you really are." He laughed, reaching a finger under Gold's chin. As he lifted Gold's face to meet his own, he shot backwards, mouth agape.

"Let them go!" The blonde shouted to his men.

"But sir…" One started.

"Now, damn it, Razoul, you are holding The Dark One!"

The men let go of their prizes and stepped away. Regina continued to smile, crossing her arms as the men cowered away from them. Emma went to stand by her queen and hook took up next to them. Ruby and Neal filed in close to the trio, all standing behind Gold.

"I told you." Rumple giggled.

Phoebus fell to his knees and plastered his head to the floor. Ever one behind the man mimicked their leader. The room was silent. Walking over to where the blonde knelt, Rumple stooped down beside him. He felt the man tense up as he rested a hand on his thick shoulder. "Get up, boy." Rumple said firmly. "All of you, on your feet." He called over the men.

"Sir, we were only…" The blonde man started.

"I know. Do not fear us, Phoebus was it? We are as we said to begin with, travelers seeking a place to rest." Rumple spoke softly.

The blonde bowed. "You may share the loft if you wish." He replied softly.

"Who are all you people?" Emma asked looking around.

"We are soldiers, m'lady. We have banded together for safety. We come from different realms, most of us, but we share a common need for survival." He said not looking at her.

"Uh huh… What makes you so special?" She mumbled, still looking around.

"In Paris, before we ended up here, I was once a captain in the late Judge Claude Frollo's military. I turned his men against him and his evil ways. I have strong values and leadership skills, I have compassion, empa…"

"Alright, pretty boy, I got it, you're great." Emma said rolling her eyes. "I never really even liked that movie or the book for that matter."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand."

"Well this is lovely and all but I need to sleep." Regina snapped after a long, awkward silence.

"Cassmin, take them to the loft. No questions. They leave in the morning." Phoebus called.

"This way." A dark skinned man with peppering hair piped up, reaching out his arm.

"Cassmin? Where do I know that name?" Emma whispered to Regina who just kept moving forward.

Emma took the hint and followed the pack silently up a stairwell. The walkway opened up into a single, bare, open room. It was small, but it would do.

"You will sleep here. Food will be prepared before sunrise for you all. When the sun comes over the trees, you must go. Have you any questions for me?" The man asked in a thick Arabian accent.

He was met with silence. "No worries. You will be safe here." He finished and disappeared down the stairs.

#

"uuuuh…" Emma groaned turning to look at Gold. "What the hell just happened?" Her eyes were wide and her mouth was turned down so low that wrinkles had formed on either side of her lips.

"Best not worry too much about it, Miss Swan." Gold replied, sitting down gracefully onto the wooden floor.

"Can you do something about this damn floor?" Regina whined as she slid down the far wall. "I don't think I could sleep on this."

"Oh come off it, Luv. We slept on worse in Neverland." The pirate smiled, throwing his heavy coat to the floor. He bent down and curled the leather into a tight roll and pushed it against the opposite wall. He plopped down with his back against the mound and his legs stretched and crossed in front of him. "I find it quite comfortable, me self." He said, reaching his arms up behind his head.

"Sorry Dearies, that ash put a damper on my magic. You'll have to make do with what you have."

"Perfect." Regina complained.

Ruby sat in the corner of the room next to Neal who was taking his vest off. The wolf-girl stared as the man exposed his upper body. Slowly he rolled his shirt up and threw himself down on it. He smiled, having seen Ruby watching him. Mr. Gold too had been watching, not his son but the woman's reaction. He shook his head and sprawled out on his stomach, it the middle of the room. Crossing his arms in front of him, he rested his head against the meat of his forearms and buried his face out of view.

Emma sat down next to Regina. She felt awkward at first but she let it go. "You can sleep on me." She whispered.

The Queen smiled warmly. "Are you sure?"

"Yea, its fine. I can sleep sitting up."

Regina scooted down to lay on her side, resting her head on the blonde's tense legs. She inhaled deeply, taking in the woman under her. The blood in her veins flowed like lava; she couldn't focus on anything but the blonde. Staring off into space, she sighed. _Now is not the time!_ She screamed at herself. Her thoughts were swimming with inappropriate fantasies. After a while of fighting herself to calm down, she felt hands on her scalp. Emma, fighting the urge to wiggle under the woman had instead, began to run her fingers through the queen's short hair. Regina smiled to herself and closed her eyes, feeling the blonde's legs finally relax. Slowly, the queen allowed herself to drift off.

After everyone had fallen asleep, Rumple peeked an eye up, looking around the room. He first noticed that Ruby had moved to lay back to back with his son. He stuck his tongue out in distaste but said nothing. Hook was snoring so loudly that the sound pulled Gold's eyes from the woman coupled with his son. Looking over, he found the pirate laying flat on his back with a limb in every direction. Smiling, Rumple looked over to the girls. Emma had fallen over and was now resting her head against the back of Regina's shoulder. The queen remained curled up on her side with her head in the savior's lap. He chuckled softly to himself and closed his eyes.

#

A loud banging from below woke the group. "Crocodile! I hate to disturb your beauty sleep but it would appear we have a problem!" Hook whispered as loudly as he could manage.

When Gold opened his eyes, he could see that Hook was standing at the top of the stairs, sword drawn. He could hear screaming and weapons clashing from below. Sitting up, he motioned to Ruby and Neal to come to him.

"Regina." He whispered, leaning in the direction of the sleeping heap of women.

The queen's eyes popped open right away. She sat up, waking the blonde who mumbled at her for moving.

"What's happening?" She whispered back with wide eyes.

"Haven't a clue Luv, but we'd better split. How's that magic coming along?" Hook replied looking at Mr. Gold.

Rumple nodded. "I'll take them, you take Emma. Meet us at the tree in front of Widow Lucas's old house." He said softly to Regina. She nodded as the other vanished into a golden cloud.

"What the fuck, Regina?" Emma yelled as the noise from below finally woke her.

"Shh. Jesus, they will hear you. I think they are being attacked. We are leaving."

"Excuse me? How are we getting out, exactly?" The blonde whispered, watching Regina open and close her fists.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." She pumped her hands repeatedly and nothing happened. "This is not good."

"What are you talking about?"

"My magic has yet to return to me."

"Ah, Regina! How did they get out?" She asked, panicking and looking around at the empty room.

"Gold got his back, he assumed I had mine." The queen whispered.

Emma opened her mouth to speak when Regina put a hand across he lips. The blonde's green eyes dilated at the contact. There was nothing but silence. Regina scurried to her feet and lifted Emma off the ground and pulled her to the furthest corner from the stairwell.

"Just follow my lead, okay? Without magic, I have nothing. Gold has my damned bow." Regina said, hurriedly. "And your sword, apparently."

"The arrows are right there." Emma said, pointing to the basket in the floor.

Regina darted over to the bag and dumped it's contents on the floor. "Damn." She mumbled, grabbing a small leather pouch and the silver flask, forcing them into her bra.

"What do we need that stuff for?" the blonde was starting to shake as footsteps approached the stairs.

"I don't know yet but we cannot take the arrows, they are too noticeable."

Emma groaned and threw her head back. "Why can't anything just be easy?"

As she brought her head back down, she startled as Regina pushed her backwards and jumped in front of her, blocking her view. Three men in ugly green suits appeared slowly up the stairs to where the women were hiding. Their swords were drawn and one of the three men was covered in blood that was obviously not his own.

"Not a word." The queen whispered.

"Ladies." One of the men said. "Now, we can go ahead and kill you or take you with us, your choice."

Emma started to say something but Regina beat her to it. "We will go." She mumbled, shooting Emma a warning glance with an arched brow as she moved out from behind her protector. Emma's eyes grew even wider. _She better know what the hell she's doin. I am in no mood for games._ She thought.

"Good girls." He said as his minions took the women by their arms. "The wicked one will be pleased."

"Oh for fuck sake, REALLY?!" Emma moaned as the man pulled her forward across the floor.

**Bum Bum Buuuum! I will say that the next chapter will be interesting. We will be getting into some sexy times. I will post a reminder on it so that you can skip it if you aren't into graphic sexual content. But in reality... Who doesn't like some good ole' SwanQueen sexiness? psst. Thanks for reading! shoot me some comments, tell me how I'm doin! -DR**


	15. Chapter 15

**As promised... Be aware, this chapter contains semi-graphic sexual content. If it's not your cup of tea, skip this chapter. You wont have missed important story line. Happy reading!**

15.

"Get comfortable little ladies, you will be in here for a while!" The man called, launching Emma into a dark room.

The blonde fell over top of what she could only imagine was Regina lying in the floor. Jumping up, Emma ran over to the wooden door that was quickly closing. She was not fast enough. The door slammed shut in her face, the wind from its force blew her hair in every which direction.

"Damn it! Let us out of here you idiots!" Emma screamed, pounding on the door.

"Emma, calm down." Regina stood, dusting off the clothes she could not even see.

"Calm down? Calm down?! In case you haven't noticed, we are trapped in a room, god knows where, being held prisoner by who fucking knows, who!"

"This is where we want to be."

"What?!" Emma spun in the dark, trying to face the direction she thought Regina was in.

"Think about it… Who controls this land?"

"The Witch." Emma huffed.

"Who has are son?"

"The Witch." The blonde said lifting an eyebrow in the dark.

"Who will lead us to where she is?" Regina said in a baby voice.

"Holy shit."

Just then a burst of light rocketed in the middle of the room, illuminating both women's startled faces. Sparks landed between then and burned bright orange on the dirt floor before snuffing out.

"What the fuck?" Emma gasped.

Another flash of light flickered and died. "How convenient." Regina whispered cupping yet another ball of fiery light in her palm.

"Ooooh now your fire ball shit works." Emma yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "Blow the door off the hinges and let's go!"

"No. We just talked about this." The queen responded coolly.

"Oh yea." The blonde huffed, deflating.

Regina held her hand out in front of her, using the fire as light. They were in what appeared to be a shack of some sort. The floor was obviously dirt, but the walls were made of creek stones. As she scanned the room, the light shinned across a flat of woven blankets on the floor and a rusted cup on a rough looking wooden side table.

"This is weird." Emma whispered, squinting into the dull light.

"Indeed." Regina had found an old torch attached to the wall. She laid her fire on top of the wooden mouth, engulfing it in light.

A warm glow swept across the room. Looking up, the queen smiled at the distasteful look on Emma's face. "Do not fret, dear, I will make this fit for a queen."

"Or two." She smiled.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Miss Swan."

"Very funny." Emma scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"I thought so." The queen chuckled. "Alright, I have a feeling those dunderheads literally left us here so, I'm going to fix up the place… Any requests?"

"A warm, soft bed and to not get a disease… those are my only requirements."

Laughing, Regina swept a hand over where the flat was laying. The dirty, old, blankets vanished and were replaced by a full sized bed with a very high, pale blue-grey headboard. Every inch was covered in a thick, white comforter. At the head of the mattress sat two over-sized pillows clad in white silk.

"Is this…?" Emma started.

"My bed? Yes."

"It is the most welcoming piece of furniture I think I'v ever seen… It reminds me of a giant wing-backed chair."

"Well, I'm glad you approve. Also, there is some sort of barrier around this place. I think it would be best if I refrained from any more magic while we are here." The brunette said, looking at her hands.

"Fine, I got what I wanted." Emma chuckled, throwing herself onto the bed. "Oh my God! It's like a cloud!" She rolled around on the surface, taking in the softness.

Regina laughed at her lover's childishness. For the first time, a genuinely loving smile settled on the queen's face. She felt warm and safe, she felt like she was home. Emma looked up and linked eyes with the woman standing over the bed. She too, smiled as she patted the empty space next to her.

"Well, come on… I know you're tired." The blonde called.

"This is true." Regina looked the woman up and down. "However, I do not wish to coat my bed in filth… so, I will wait until I can no longer stand to be awake."

"No. just take your outer layers off, you'll be fine."

"Good point." The queen mumbled.

Emma lying on her stomach, propped her head up on her arms and watch Regina pace the room. Finally with a huff, the woman began to unbutton her jacket. She looked up to see green eyes fixed on her hands. Clearing her throat, Emma turned away. Her cheeks burned at being caught gazing at the woman.

With haste, Regina threw her jacket to the floor. A loud thumb caught her attention. She bent down and turned the pockets out. In her hand, she held the silver flask. _I knew would need this_, she thought.

"Tequila?" She asked, tipping the container toward the bed.

At the mention of alcohol, Emma sat up. "pleeease." She laughed, holding out her hand. "I haven't drank anything harder than coffee since the day we got back from Neverland…. Oh god, I bet I'm such a light weight now."

"Well, at least we will sleep well, if nothing else."

Cracking the lid, Emma quickly threw the container into the air taking a long drink. Her features curled as she swallowed. Taking a breath, she had another. Lying back down, she handed the flask back to Regina. Slowly, the woman brought the metal to her lips. Tilting it back she swallowed a bit down.

"Ugh. I hate this stuff." She groaned, disgusted.

"More than rum?"

"There is nothing I hate more than rum."

"Pretty sure you hate pirates more..."

"Only the one." The queen smiled.

Back and forth the flack switched hands. Over time Emma's face had turned a shade of red and Regina still stood by the bed only now she swayed a bit on her feet.

"I think that I, I am the light weight here, Miss Swan." She laughed.

"Sit down before you fall down, Madam Mayor."

"Madam Mayor?!" Regina laughed. "Mayor of a town that doesn't exist!" Her face turned very serious. "Mayor of a town that longer exists and Queen of a kingdom destroyed by her own hand."

"I think we can get it back…. Rebuild." Emma said, thoughtfully.

"No. No more curses. No more Storybrooke. No more Evil Queen." Her voice had grown very serious.

"Just a thought."

"You saw that town… That is what curses do, Emma. They destroy things… homes. They destroy lives." The vein in the middle of the queen's forehead stood up.

"I never said it had to be a curse... You do all sorts of magic..."

"After all this time of Gold'e ramblings, you still can't remember that all magic comes with a price..." Regina's voice faded as she took to staring down at her open palms.

Emma sat silently. _Way to go, Swan. Look what you started, _She thought. Looking up at Regina, the blonde noticed that a thin stripe on the woman's face was shinning in the dim light. _Aww fuck. Don't do this. Say something, you idiot, you started this and now look, she is crying. _

"Regina, I'm sorry. I didn't realize… I'm an idiot, I'm sorry."

As soon as Emma began to speak, tears poured from the queens eyes. Emotion taking control, Regina turned away. The last thing she wanted was for the blonde to see her sobbing. She brought shaking hands to her face and quickly attempted to mop her tears. The harder she tried to stop, the harder her body shook and the faster the tears flowed. Now embarrassed, the brunette sobbed audibly.

"Jeeze." Emma mumbled, pulling herself off the bed. "Hey, hey, It's okay." She said, walking carefully to the woman. "I, uh…" Giving up on words, the blonde wrapped her arms around the hysterical woman. The contact only made things worse. Regina tried to pull away but the arms around her tightened. Giving up her fight, the queen eventually turned around, in Emma's embrace and sobbed openly, burying her face into the blonde's shoulder._ Awesome. What the fuck is wrong with me? Oh hey, I love you, so, I'm going to make you feel like the most terrible person in the world. Yes, Ladies and gentlemen, this is how the Swan destroys everything, _she scolded herself.

"Come on." Emma whispered, pulling the woman's head off of her. "Come lay down."

Regina shook her head, resisting the blonde's attempt.

"Please? I will cuddle you, It will be okay."

"I… *sniffle*… Do not… do cuddles. Regina mumbled.

"What?!" Emma jumped back, holding the woman's face to meet her own. In her best offended voice, the blonde all but shouted, "You don't do cuddles?! Who doesn't DO cuddles?!"

Regina had forgot about her embarrassment and stood wide-eyed in front of the blonde. Her tears had slowed to less than a trickle.

_Say something witty, it's working, _Emma coached herself. "Well, you' Majesty, you have obviously never cuddled with me." She paused looking into the queen's face. Seeing the faint outline of a smile on the woman's face, she continued. "I happen to be a champion cuddler."

Taking a step away from the brunette, Emma brought her hands to the air. "I guarantee, you will be so comfortable that you will fall fast asleep… or your money back."

"I doubt it, Miss Swan." Regina was almost completely finished crying but her voice still bubbled a little when she spoke. "What are you wagering?"

"Er… um… I don't know. If you want a wager, place your bet, lady."

"I still have cash from Maine… Is twenty dollars low enough for your budget?" The queen asked through a smirk.

"I'll take it…" Emma looked over to the empty bed and then back to Regina. "After you."

Skepticism written on her face, Regina moved to the bed. Emma stood with her hands on her hips, watching the queen remove her boots. She smiled as she shimmied her jacket onto the floor and unlaced her own boots.

The blonde turned down the top blanket and waited for the woman to get under them before lying down beside her. "Scoot."

Regina settled in to the blankets, her back was to the blonde. Silently, Emma threw her arm around the queen's waist and pulled her to rest flat against her own body. Emma's arm lay warm against the woman's stomach, they were both tense at first but Emma was the first to relax, realizing that she was the one in control.

_Alright, now, we wait. After all that, she should sleep soon,_ Emma thought as she buried her face into the woman's hair. Taking a deep breath, she sighed, a little louder than she realized. _How is it that we have been all over creation for like a week, with no showers or anything and the lady still smells like heaven?! I bet I smell rancid... Ick._

The queen began to relax under the weight of Emma's arm. _Okay, well… this isn't so bad. Wait… was that? Was that a SIGH?! I wonder what's going on in that head of hers. Better yet... I don't want to know. Ignore her. Just do yourself a favor and let it go!_ The warmth of Emma's breath was hot on the back of Regina's neck. She closed her eyes, attempting to ignore the bumps that had taken over her skin. Closing her eyes, she could feel her own heat beginning to build.

"I'm sorry." Regina whispered. She desperately needed conversation to take her mind off of the way her whole body tingled.

"Don't be sorry, it's okay to cry." Emma slowly began to trance circles onto the queen's shirt with her fingertips.

Regina's breath caught at first movement. _Oh no. Oh, don't do this. Please don't do this. Stop! _ She screamed in her head without making an effort to physically stop the blonde. "There is a reason I don't drink tequila." She mumbled through clenched teeth.

"Whys that?" Emma had boosted her head up on her hand to look over the woman's hair.

The change of angle was even worse. Emma had now started breathing in the queen's ear, without realizing it.

Regina's eyes rolled as she sighed deeply."Well, um…" She could not concentrate, her heart pounded like it would give out at any moment. "When I drink it, one of two things usually happens…" She paused, taking a deep breath as the fingers on her stomach began moving slower and more gently that before.

"Oh?"

"I either, get really hot and end up mostly naked… or I have an emotional breakdown and end up in a corner somewhere, crying like a mad-woman." It took all her will to not push her body further against the blonde.

Moving her hand to rest on Regina's hip, Emma squeezed a little. A tingling jolt shot straight from the brunette's stomach and down to her core. The queen's eyes dilated in the dark as she tried to focus on something, anything. Her head swam in giant circles.

"It's okay. I'm glad you're better now. I am still mostly smashed, if we are being honest." Emma giggled.

"I did not say that I wasn't, Dear. I am just good at keeping my composure." Regina could hardly control herself, her chest heaved with every shaking breath.

_You have to stop, _Regina thought to herself. _You are getting yourself all worked up over nothing. You knew better than to drink that shit and now look at you... This is ridiculous._

"I guess so." The blonde said shifting her hips closer to the queen.

There was silence for a little while; Regina stared in front of her, at the stone wall and tried to will herself to just try and sleep. Emma, however, stared down the brunette's body and considered her options.

_God. This is so perfect… But I want so much more. What do I doooo? I'm such an idiot. _

_-Just tell her that she is hot, see what her response is._

_*Would you like being called hot, Emma? No! You would lock up and ignore her if it were you. Tell her she is beautiful… or that you want her._

_-Oh yea because that seems like a good plan._

_*Kiss her. You will know what she wants._

_-She just spent like a half hour crying… and you think kissing her is a good idea?_

_*Grab her hand… that's sweet, right?_

_-Yes, sure, aside from her hands being around her breasts… and you're clumsy. That would be awesome. Hey yea, I know you were crying and all but here let me just grab myself some boob._

Emma shook her head. Clearly she wasn't getting anywhere by thinking about it. _Instincts, Swan, just do what feels right. If she doesn't approve, you'll know it._ With a sigh, Emma reached her hand back around to Regina's stomach. She pressed her hand firmly against the brunette's abdomen, pulling her closer. She could feel the outline of the woman's muscles pushing back into her palm. A burst of heat erupted in her gut and spread so fast she felt light headed. When the queen finally gave in and settled back against Emma, the blonde's stomach was doing summersaults. They were now nestled tighter than puzzle pieces. Emma's chest was pressed flat against Regina's back and the queen's backside fit perfectly against the blonde's groin. Emma let her fingers dance around the bottom hem of the woman's shirt. _God, she is so warm. No...Don't think, Just do, damn it!_

Regina burned with desire. Shifting her legs, she felt the obvious build up moisture between her thighs. _This woman is going to be the death of me. What do I do, let her play around until she is bored? Surely she isn't trying to do what I think she is... Ugh!_

Stretching her fingers out, the blonde brushed against Regina's soft skin. She felt the woman shudder under her touch. Pushing on, her fingers explored the tone build of the queen's stomach. Gently Emma curled her fingers in and pulled the tips of her fingernails down the woman's skin. She started at the bottom of the brunette's slightly protruding rib cage and she slowly mad her way to rest right above the start of her pants. Emma had not missed the queen's sharp intake of breath. She could feel the woman's breathing quicken next to her. Smiling, Emma halted her attack and spread her fingers wide across Regina's skin.

The queen pushed her ass back into the blonde's groin, trying to urge her fingers down past the black slack barricade. When Regina noticed the lack of hot breath on her neck, she knew that Emma was holding her breath, all together. The blonde was thinking hard about something, that much was obvious. The suspense was almost painful. _What am I doing?! Do not encourage this, you're supposed to be on a rescue mission, not a sexcapade. _ _God, what if she is terrible… I will have to do the job myself… with her next to me. This is such a bad idea._ Just then, Regina felt hot moisture on her neck, Emma's lips had caused a tidal wave to build in the queen. _Fuck it._

Flipping over, Regina caught the blonde's lips in her own. Pushing her weight up on the balls of palms she swung her leg over the blonde, nesting her knee between the other's thighs.

Emma ached her back at the sudden contact. Her gut expelled waves of please as she slowly turned her hips to meet Regina's muscular thigh. A moan escaped the blonde's throat as the queen's tongue parted her lips.

Hot bursts shot through Regina's body, as Emma allowed her full entry to her mouth. Their tongues danced wildly around each other. Opening her eyes, Regina was met with fiercely lustful green ones. She couldn't help but smile into their kiss.

Breaking for air, the queen sat up, swinging her leg over to straddle the blonde's still slightly moving hips. Without a word, Emma reached up and grabbed the bottom of the queen's shirt, pulling it off the woman in one determined gesture and pitching it to the side. A cocky smirk spread across Regina's face as wide green eyes took in her dark, amazingly toned body. Emma's mouth hung open in awe.

Green eyes lingered on the soft black fabric concealing the queen's chest. Slowly, pale fingers ran up the curve of Regina's body, savoring every solid ripple. Emma brought her hands to rest on Regina's breasts she couldn't resist gripping them. The blonde was gentle, mindfully cupping each mount.

Regina threw her head back and pushed herself against Emma's hips, the need for contact was growing more painful. Without hesitation, the queen snaked her hands up her own body, coming to rest on the blonde's hands. She gripped them hard, forcing pale fingers into her own flesh. A pleasure- filled hiss drained from her lips.

Sitting up, Emma connected their lips once more. Her need was rising and instinct took over her body. She threw a hand into Regina's hair at the base of her neck, and pulled. A yip erupted from the queen as her head shot back, exposing the sleek skin of her neck to the woman. Emma trailed hot, rough kisses down her throat, still groping at her body.

The queen shuddered as the blonde ran the tip of her tongue back up the line she had followed down. The tiny hairs on Regina's arms stood erect as Emma slid her free hand around and undid her bra, while still mercilessly attacking her neck. As soon as the garment was free, it soared through the air and landed in the abyss. Regina's dark eyes searched Emma's face as she began to move under her.

Emma scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up, Regina in her arms. Turning, she threw the queen onto the mattress. Landing with a bounce, Regina wasn't sure if she should be mad or excited that she was just tossed effortlessly. The brunette's heart was pounding hard in her chest as she realized that Emma's fingers were grabbing at the button on her pants. _Oh shit. Are we really doing this? Okay, Okay. Keep your cool_, she thought, flushing.

Emma was quickly aggravated with the clasp and opted to grab the pants and slide them off without unbuttoning them. She tugged at them slowly, revealing matching black, lace covered bottoms. Licking her lips, Emma gave a final, quick tug and released the garment to the ground. Like a tiger, Emma crawled up the queen's body. Her eyes were dark with desire as she ran her hands up the queen's bare body. She took up Regina's bottom lip, teasingly and sucked hard, letting her teeth drag the soft flesh.

Slowly she made her way down the queen's jerking body, placing hot, wet kisses everywhere she could. She took the time to flick her damp tongue across a quickly hardening nipple while gently kneading the opposite mound. Lifting her mouth form the queen's breast with pop she moved further and further down, coming to stop at the flesh above the woman's panties. The blonde teasingly slipped her tongue just underneath the waist band. A loud gasp echoed loud in the blonde's ears as she slid her hands under the queen's thighs.

Regina's primal need hand taken her over long ago. Her hips jerked forward to meet the blonde's teasing. The contact was broken. Dark eyes peered out for under hooded lids to find the blonde smiling in triumph. _I'll give you something to grin about, you little shit_! The queen groaned silently in her head.

Regina leaped forward, catching the blonde off guard. Smashing their mouths together, in a heated tussle, Regina tore the flimsy shirt from Emma's body. She again found the blonde's lips and plunged her tongue past them into the woman's burning mouth. Mercilessly, Regina grabbed at the blonde's back, clawing at the strip of material that still remained. She pulled the soft grey fabric right off of the woman, effortlessly. Setting it aside, the queen unleashed an instinctual assault on the blonde's newly exposed flesh. Taking one pert nipple between her fingers, Regina rolled it back and forth. A lustful moan poured from Emma's throat as she fell forward, no longer supported by her shaking knees.

Acting quickly, Regina flipped the blonde under her and purposefully peeled the skin tight fabric from her lower half before descending again to the woman's chest. A tone thigh was yet again nested against the blonde's core as the queen pulled a nipple into her mouth. Emma bucked and moaned under her, unable to control her own body anymore.

A tan hand slid the length of the pale, slender frame. Unlike Emma, the queen didn't feel the need for teasing. She bypassed the garment, hiding the woman's sex all together, cupping the blonde's hot, wet core. Regina couldn't help but smile at the sharp intake of breath from the woman under her. Skillfully, the queen slipped a finger in between the slick folds of the blonde's sex. A deep, growling moan crawled in Emma's throat as Regina quickly rested a moist finger atop her swollen clit.

Relentlessly, the queen roughly circled the little mound, applying more pressure with every pass. The blonde's hips jerked wildly, trying to steal more friction. Without warning, Regina sat back on her heels and plunged her fingers deep into the woman's heat. A pleasured cry came bolting from the blonde as the queen pumped forcefully inside her. Curling her fingers, the brunette could feel Emma's burning walls closing in around her digits. Without hesitation, Regina leaned forward and dipped her tongue into the sticky folds, above her still pumping fingers. The tip of her tongue came to meet the blonde's bud. Flicking slowly, the queen lessened her assault of the blonde's insides and focused on her new task. After a few short passes, Regina could feel the blonde squeezing at her fingers, repeatedly, as the woman started grinding down hard against her hand. Planting her elbow against her knee, Regina let the blonde ride herself out while the queen continued to run her tongue across the now throbbing nub. Soon, Regina couldn't keep up. Emma was crashing herself down harder and harder against the tan hand, with no regard to the safety of the queen's face.

Regina leaned forward onto the blonde, pressing their hot bodies together before taking the blondes sweat soaked face into her hand. Emma opened her eyes and met the queen's gaze. It pushed her over the edge. Without breaking their stare, Emma buckled under Regina. Her body hitched, throwing her forward as the string of random words sprayed from the blonde's lips. Emma pushed her face against the queen's shoulder as she shook wildly. Another hot wave came over her. She fought the sounds building in her throat as she sank her teeth into the woman's tan flesh. Still she couldn't hold back. Falling back against the bed she pulled her head back and let out a deep, strained cry. Her walls came down so hard on Regina, she thought her fingers were going to break. Pulling herself up once more, Emma slid her fingertips down Regina's arm and shoulder, leaving angry red stripes in her wake. Hot fluid puddled in the queen's palm as the blonde threw herself back against the mattress, chest heaving. Ever other breath was expelled as a low whimper. Slowly, the queen pulled herself from the blonde. She collapsed next to Emma and took her up into her arms.

After a short time in the queen's grasp, Emma shot up and slid over on top of her. Confidently, the blonde ran her hand down to meet the soaked cloth cover Regina's aching core. Pulling it aside, she skipped the pleasantries and slid herself deep into the queen. A gasp came from the brunette as her eyes rolled under closed lids. Regina was already shaking under her but Emma trucked on. With slow, strong thrusts, the blonde found her way deeper inside her lover.

Reaching down, Regina gripped the blonde's solid shoulder and pulled her up into a passionate kiss. Emma's pace quickened as the queen began to push her hips down to meet the blonde's thrusts. Closing her eyes, Regina let out a long, rumbling cry. Her body shook uncontrollably as the burning in her stomach flooded her core. The single torch on the wall burned brighter than ever before. The whole room was glowing in white hot light as the queen came undone. The sound that came from the queen was almost shrill. Her hip continued to crash down on the blonde's hand until her body went numb.

"Holy shit, holy shit." Regina laughed, trying to regain her composure as the blonde crawled up next to her. "That was the hottest thing i have ever experienced." she sighed."That was also, um… not supposed to happen.

"Are you complaining?!" Emma teased.

"Did it sound like I was complaining, Miss Swan?"

Emma took the queen's face in her hand and kissed her tenderly. _Look at you, Swan. Fit for a queen, you are._ She smiled to herself. She draped her arm around the queen and rested her head against the woman's collarbone. Wrapped in loving, tan arms the blonde's breathing deepened as her mind soon faded.

_I can get used to this,_ Regina thought as she too drifted. Her arms were tight around the blonde who was nestled into the crook of her neck. The soft pat of Emma breath against the queen's skin steadily lulled her to sleep.

**There you have it folks! Feel free to drop a comment. Thanks for reading. -DR**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you, thank you for all the reviews, follows and favies! I appreciate the feedback. Happy reading!**

"Where the bloody hell are they?" Hook sighed as he paced under a grand tree.

Rumple had long since zoned out and was staring silently over the land while Neal and Ruby stood awkwardly off to the side. After a bit, Ruby finally stepped forward.

"Mr. Gold?" She whispered.

He stood unaware of her calling for him. He was lost in another world, eyes glazed and ears deaf. Neal watched on as Ruby stepped closer to his father. Hook continued to pace, shaking his head as his aggravation climbed.

"Rumplestiltskin…" Ruby called, reaching out and resting her hand on his shoulder.

The contact jarred the older man from his thoughts. Slowly, he turned to face the girl whose hand still sat firmly on his arm. He blinked away the haze and looked at her thought fully.

"We have to go back for them." He spoke, looking her in the eye.

"Oh, he lives, welcome back Scaley! How do you suppose we are going to go about doing that?" Hook went on as sarcastically as he could manage.

"Mister Jones, if you could control yourself." Rumple shrugged at the man. "Maybe you could hold your slithering tongue long enough for me to finish."

"Oi! What the bloody fuck has got into you?"

Neal elbowed the pirate to shut him up before turning to his father who still looked quite uneasy. "What are we going to do, Papa?"

"_We_ are not going to do anything, Bae. I am going to go back to that barn and you are going to stay here. This is entirely my fault."

"No, Rumple…" Ruby started, catching his eye. "We are doing this together. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

Turning to look at his son, Gold nodded. He was obviously not too thrilled by the idea of taking everyone with him but he knows a lost argument when he hears one.

"Alright then, tis settled." Hook started, marching off in the direction he figured they came from.

"Wrong way, Killian." Ruby called.

Suavely, the pirate changed direction. Gold rolled his eyes and watched the man play like he knew what he was doing. After a moment, Hook gave up and settled back into the circle.

"Are you quite through?" Gold asked, dropping his hand, palm up between them.

"Just get on with it." Hook huffed.

Ruby giggled at Hook's obvious cluelessness. While Neal stood with his arms folded across his chest. Taking a long, audible breath before proceeding, Gold looked out over his company. "We haven't a clue who those soldiers were, nor who sent them…" He started. "But we are going to go back. I'll get us there but be on your toes, for all we know they could still be there… For all we know…" He fell silent, looking pained. "They could be lost forever." He whispered.

Ruby laid her hand on his shoulder once more. "We will find them, if they aren't there, I can track them… that's why you wanted me on your team right?"

"I didn't choose..." Gold started.

"Of course that's why." Neal chimed in with a gentle smile.

Hook rolled his eyes and then turned to face Gold. "Are we going or what?"

"Yes, yes. Just be careful with what you find." Gold mumbled, half to the pirate but half to himself as well. "Come on." He added, holding his hands out. Once everyone had hold of him, they were consumed by thick gold fog.

#

"They did what?!" Snow turned on the curly haired brunette, her hands on top of her head in disbelief.

"Now, Snow…"

"No Belle! Do not try to tell me that everything will be fine because it won't!" Her blue eyes darkened in her anger.

"But it will!" Belle pleaded, taking the queen's hand and pulling her closer.

"No!" She shouted, tearing her hand from the woman's grasp. "We have to go, now! Who knows how far they have gotten already and knowing that bunch, they have probably got themselves captured just because they can!" She swung around to look at the other woman in the room. "And you had nothing to do with this, Tinkerbell?! I hardly believe that. And Ruby?! I just… ahhh!" Snow threw her hands in the air before storming out the room.

"Well…" Belle smiled, "That went better than I had expected."

"Oh for you, maybe. If she had magic, she would have cursed me, I guarantee it." Tink laughed.

"I don't see why, it's not like you could have stopped them."

"But I have no reason to side with them…" The fairy looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "As far as Snow knows, I have no interest in Hook and I certainly have nothing with Neal."

Belle stood silently for a moment. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Wait… Neal?"

Flushing, Tink looked to the floor. Slowly, she nodded. "We… well, I… I don't know, really."

"What is not to know?" Belle whispered, pulling the woman by her elbow into the next room.

"I don't know if he even knows. It's weird ya know? I watched him grow up, I don't know how he feels." Tink responded, still staring a hole in the woodwork.

"Oh Tinkerbell…" Belle shook her head. "Have you given him any clue… about your feelings?"

"I was the only woman on an island full of boys on their way to puberty, Belle… I'm sure he has an idea." She said flatly.

Belle narrowed her eyes at the fairy. "What?"

"Good God, Belle. You lived with Rumplestiltskin for ages but you can't understand subtle hints?" She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh hush. Are you trying to tell me that you have had relations with Neal?"

"You think?"

"Sexual relations?!" Belle whispered with a high brow.

"Clearly."

Belle closed her eyes quickly and began swallowing down the disgusted felling welling in her chest. Neal was pretty much a son to her, she couldn't think of him being sexual with her friend. Shaking her head slightly, she looked up to the woman who was now staring at her.

"Well, um, that is lovely. Surely he has feelings for you!" she beamed.

"How many men have you been with, Belle?" The fairy asked, looking up through her hair.

"I was engaged to a man named Gaston before I left with Rumple…"

"That isn't what I asked." She stated, standing up straight to look Belle more properly in the face. "How many have you been with… sexually…"

In an instant all the color had drained from Belle's face. She stood mouth gaping, searching the fairy's face.

"Well?" Tink folded her arms.

Belle's pale face quickly turned bright red as she looked down, obviously uncomfortable. "I, uh… Well, you see… I was engaged… No physical stuff there… and Rumple and I… well…" She stammered.

"Wait, wait, wait… You have never?"

"No."

"Oh come oooon! You were the town barfly, as I understand it… and you never had sex with Gold? No wonder you don't understand the male mind!" Tink was now trying so hard not to laugh that her chest was beginning to ache.

"Not all relationships have to involve sex, Tinkerbell. We are just waiting for the right time."

"Hey sister, did I just hear that you have never has sex with Gold... haven't you been together for like… ever?" A voice flew in from behind where the women were huddled.

Belle frowned as she turned to face a smiling Leroy and Snow who had her arms crossed but wore the most apologetic face Belle had ever seen.

"That's correct. Anyway, are we to be leaving soon?"

"Now, actually." Snow answered softly.

Belle nodded to the queen as she turned and left. As soon as she was past the door, Tink let out a snort, doubling over, she let herself laugh freely.

"Oh shut it, you." Unamused, Belle threw an elbow into the fairy.

"I'm sorry, I just... I just can't believe that happened." Tink continued to laugh.

"Enough, let's go." Belle pushed the woman through the door and into the main room where everyone else waited for commands.

Some were gearing up, strapping their swords and axes to their waste while others sat patiently. Robin and Mulan were buckling down each other's armor in the front of the room. Tink eyed them thoughtfully before turning to Belle. "Are they together?" She whispered, nodding in their direction.

Belle had a chuckle before responding. "No, of course not."

"Of course not? Why _of course not_? They are so great together. They are always watching each other's back and…" Tink was cut off when Snow got up on the front table, hands in the air to signal silence.

The whole room was quiet and all eyes were on the queen when Belle leaned toward the fairy. "Mulan doesn't swing that way." She whispered.

Tink turned to eye the woman. "You mean she is a les…"

"Yes." Belle whispered.

"Hmm." Tink nodded. "A lot of that going on around here, these days. How did I miss that?"

Snow raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. Her usually soft face was stern as she addressed the crowd. "For those of you who are unaware; Rumplestiltskin took his group out last night without informing me. With him, Ruby, Neal, Emma, Hook and Regina followed. They blatantly disobeyed my orders and now, we must set out not only in search of the Wicked Witch's castle, formerly that of Rumplestiltskin… But we must now find them as well."

The crowd was silent. A few knowing people sent glares to Belle and Tink who stood away from the rest of the band. Belle stood with her eyes fixed on the queen while the fairy shifted awkwardly under the people's gaze.

"Belle…" The queen turned to meet the woman's eyes, "would you remind me who is doing what?"

Belle now shifted around as everyone looked to her. "Well... Ahem... your Majesty. I believe we are all going to look for…"

"No Belle… who is in what group…" Snow smiled softly. There was a collective snicker as Belle's cheeks flushed.

"Oh, yes." She laughed, digging for her list. She unrolled the parchment and began to read it aloud. "Well, um… Snow's group is Leroy… Sneezey is in no shape to fight and well… Frederick…"

"I will take his alongside you!" Abigail called over the group, cutting Belle off. "I can fight."

Belle looked from the blonde to the woman on the table. When Snow nodded, Belle scribbled down Abigail's name in the queen's group.

"I will fight as well, allow Ella to stay here." Thomas piped up.

Everyone turned to the man holding his wife to his chest. Ella pulled away and laughed, planing a strong hand on the man's chest. "No offense Thomas but you have little combat skills, stay here with Jon and protect our daughter."

Thomas looked physically pained for a moment before nodding. "You have made your point, Love." He whispered.

The queen smiled warmly at the couple before turning again to Belle. "Carry on."

"Alright," Belle scanned her list again. "Snow has Leroy, Abigail and Dopey. Mulan has Myself, Doc, Bashful and Doc. Robin will have with him; Ariel, Tinkerbelle, Anton and Ella."

After finishing, Belle looked up to Snow who was silent in thought. After a bit, Snow looked around again and frowned. "Actually, Belle… scratch that list. I think we need groups based on skill sets, not just numbers." She scanned the room before pink splotches stained her cheeks. "And since Rumple took his group, we will reconsider ours…"

"M'lady, can I make a suggestion?" Robin asked softly, stepping into her view.

"Of course, Robin." Snow smiled.

"Take the dwarfs as your band, we all know that they are loyal to you and you alone. They would do anything to protect you…"

An agreeing murmur rang through the room as the dwarfs all approached the table, silently making their feelings known. Sleepy joined the men, he would not be left behind to guard children.

Snow smiled down at the little men before turning back to the archer. "Alright then, I will have the dwarfs, but sleepy…" She shook her head, "If you so much as dose off, I will chain you to a tree and come back for you when we are done." She smiled. "Who will you and Mulan have?"

Robin turned to his partner as she made her way to his side. "We wish to fight together, to not be separated." He said firmly, looking up into Snow's face. She was smiling down on them.

''You do make a great team. Alright then, who will be our other leader?" She called over the group.

"How about this, we will split into our dominate skill set… how many of you have a bow?" Robin called out. He and Mulan raised their hands and looked around. At the very back of the room, a large arm shot a bow up into the air.

"If you can use this, take it, Robin." Jon boomed. "I won't be needing it here… I have this strapin' chap." He finished pointing to Thomas who smiled awkwardly.

"Alright then," Robin smiled. "Who can fire a bow?"

Abigail raised her hand, proudly. "Come with us, m'lady." He smiled, waving his arm for her to join them.

"And how many of you can wield a sword?"

Belle, Eric, and Ella all had hands in the air. "Stand together, please." Snow called out.

When the three were together, Robin looked up at who remained. "Ariel, Tinkerbelle what is your weapon of choice?"

"Magic, obviously." Tink huffed.

"I have never really fought outside of water… but I am good with a trident." Ariel smiled.

"That is pretty much a sword, its close enough." Robin laughed. "Alright Ariel, join the queen and Tinkerbell, you are with us. Belle, you are in charge of your trio."

"No." Tinkerbell said, folding her arms across her chest. "I am staying with Belle."

Snow looked down at Robin, wide-eyed. He cleared his throat before smiling back to the fairy. "And why is that?" He asked calmly.

"Because, we, much like Mulan and yourself, stick together." She huffed.

"Fine." He smiled. "You can stay with her. "Anyone else have an issue with their group?" He asked, looking around at all the shaking heads.

"Where do we fit in?" A sing-song voice called out.

Robin turned to see Nova and Blue standing in the doorway behind him. "Do fairies fight?"

"I am the Blue Fairy, dear. I fight. Nova, however…" She smiled to her partner.

"I would rather stay here with the children, I am quite clumsy." Nova squeaked.

Laughing, Robin turned back to the groups, searching the people's faces. "Well… pick a group, I suppose."

"First, I would like to give Prince Thomas this…." Blue called, pulling a golden bow from the air.

"What is it?" Thomas asked, walking toward her.

"I heard your wish, Thomas. This bow is much like the bow of Rumplestiltskin… It will hit whatever target you will it to."

"That was my bow." Robin mumbled before Mulan nudged him.

"Take this and join your fellow archers. Nova will protect Jon, Sneezy and the children, you can fight. You're very brave, Young Prince." She smiled at the joy on the man's face. "Now, let me see…. Who needs me?" She said mostly to herself as she evaluated the skills of the other people.

"I will join the Queen, but Ariel should fight with the swordsmen." Blue turned, grinning to the queen. "She can use this." She said pulling a short sword from the air between then. "It is weightless and will practically become an extension of your arm, you can wield it as your fist."

"Awesome!" Ariel giggled, taking up the weapon. As she gripped the hilt, the leather straps of the handle coiled around her wrist then climbed to wrap around her bicep. The sword disappeared, leaving her whole arm covered in metallic silver. Her wide eyes shot up to the fairy.

"And when I said practically… I mean literally. It forms to whatever you want it to be."

"Really?" Ariel smiled as she closed her eyes. "I want a trident! But not a mini-trident or a salad-trident..." She whispered, voice fading off. A collective gasp for the room made the ginger open her eyes. Staring down at her hand, she now hand thick metal prongs where her fingers would have been. "Oh Blue, I love it!" she danced around.

"When your job is done, it will become a sword again." Blue smiled again.

"This is so cool." The mermaid was still dancing around the room when Snow cleared a laugh from her own throat.

"Alright then," She smiled. "My group will take to the back way to the castle, Robin… you and Belle take the main road. Just remember to keep an eye out for Gold and my daughter. We really have no clue what waits beyond this property."

"Don't worry, M'lady. We will find them." He said proudly.

"Most importantly, look out for each other. We will all come out of this." she said, addressing the group as a single unit. "Find for your lands, your futures and the future of our royal line but above all, my friends... Fight for each other."

Snow jumped down off the table and signaled for their departure. Belle and her company were the first out the door. Robin nodded for Mulan to take their group out and he walked back to where Jon sat.

"Take care of my boy, Jon." He whispered, hugging the giant man. "Roland… my son, I love you. Protect these people, they are family. When I return, I will have something very special for you." He smiled, rubbing the boy's hair. Roland beamed up at his father and wrapped his small arms around the man's legs as Ella and Thomas gathered to their daughter, smothering her in love.

"We will see you soon, little one." Ella whispered.

Thomas laid a kiss on the child's head before taking his wife's hand. "Come, we must go."

As the three walked away from their loved ones, a little voice traveled behind them. "Don't you worry, Lexi, I will protect you." Roland hummed proudly.

#

"Go that way." Snow pointed down a path that disappeared into the forest. "We will meet back at Maurice's palace, It will be the closed we will get to where the Witch is."

"My father's castle? That is very far from here..." Belle called back.

"It will give us time to find the other group. from there Gold's castle will only be a night away... We will come up with a plan of attack then."

Belle nodded in silent response. Turning to face her group, the curly haired princess rolled her eyes. "Lets go, I can get us to my father's castle. We will have plenty of time to sit around and wait for Snow White to find her way." She sighed to Mulan and Tinkerbell who stood on either side of her.

"Why don't you just tell her to follow us in, if you know the way." Mulan asked.

"Ha! The Queen has a thick skull, Mulan." Tink went on, with a low voice.

"She wouldn't listen to me anyway, best to just let her do what she thinks is best." Belle finished.

Bowing, Mulan stepped away from the women and made her way to where Robin stood. "We are following Belle out, she knows the way."

"Sounds good," He smiled. Raising his voice, he called out over the people. "Lets move out, follow the Lady Belle, she knows the way."

Across the lawn, Snow scoffed at Robin's words. The queen didn't know why but she currently couldn't wait to get away from the rest of the people. She marched forward, Dwarfs following close behind. Blue had poofed out to scout ahead, shortly after she made it out of the front door. She may not fight with a sword or arrow but Blue was quite efficient at going around unnoticed.

"Is everything okay, Snow?" Leroy asked, quietly.

The queen couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, I just need to get out of here and find Emma."

"I don't think that is all of it..."

"Leroy..."

"Okay, okay Sister, I'm following your lead... But if you want to talk about it, you know that..."

"Leroy!" Snow snapped, she had stopped to look the short man in the face. "It's nothing. can we just go on, please?"

"Sure..." He smiled. Dropping his face to look at his feet he sighed. "If this is nothing, I can't wait to see what her going off on Gold and Regina looks like." He mumbled under his breath as he fell into the queen's pace. "I bet I could make some coin on that fight."

**In the next few chapters, we will pop in on Henry and the gang and then go see if Rumple can manage to find the girls... That should be interesting. I may split them into two chapters or I may just stick them in one... We will see. Also... Why didn't anyone tell me that my first, like 13 chapters had no separations in them?! All the sections ran together... terrible. Ima have to fix that. If you ever find any of my stuff hard to read, let me know so I can fix it. What I see and what you see are different, apparently... Anyway... Til Next time... -DR**


	17. Chapter 17

**I went ahead and shoved all the side story stuff into this chapter. Sorry if it seems a little crazy. Happy reading!**

"You're very funny, David." Jefferson hissed though his teeth. "You're going to have to do as I say if you want to get out of here."

"Sure, yea, no problem." The king mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I'll act like I didn't see that." He snapped his fingers. "First off, do you know where they have Grace?"

David was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry, I haven't seen her… At all, actually. I have been here for a while now… Are you sure she is here?"

"Of course I'm sure." The Hatter snapped back.

"I'm only saying that I haven't seen her, perhaps she is in another building…"

"Enough. I will find her after we are out of here. I just hope Henry is doing well…."

"Henry? My Henry?" Charming laughed. "He is in New York, with Emma… I'm sure he is fine."

"Um, no. See… It's a long boring story but he is here, Emma too as I understand it…" He said quickly, avoiding the King's hard stare.

"What?! Here where Jefferson?!" He yelled, grabbing the rusty bars of his cage. His sudden movements caused the whole thing to swing lightly in the air.

"I would say Emma is off somewhere with your wife by now…"

"And Henry?" David's voice was sharp.

Closing his eyes, The Hatter mumbled to himself before looking up at the King. "He is here." He whispered so softly that his words didn't make it to David's ears.

"Louder, Hatter."

"He is here." He whispered a little louder. Jefferson looked down in his lap, avoiding David's glare, yet again.

"Damn it Jefferson! Where is he!?" He spat.

"He is here! In this castle! In Belle's old room! Are you happy?!" He shot up, staring David head on. He watched as the King's face went from red to white and then, at once, he was perfectly calm. Jefferson watched on in confusion.

"Well then," The king pushed his chest out. "I will just have to find him."

"Good idea."

"Henry is my grandson, we are family and in this family…" Jefferson rolled his eyes at David's words. The Hatter mouthed the words that came next, twirling his finger in the air. "We always find each other." Charming finished.

"Clearly." Jefferson mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Charming turned his head to the side, much like a puppy would.

"I said, that is lovely, Sir. When would you like to start?"

Charming pushed himself back against the bars and looked around thoughtfully. "If I had my sword, I could cut the rope…" He followed the rope with his eyes, all the way to the ground below.

"On second thought, David… I'll figure it out. Clearly brawn it's everything."

The Hatter dug around in his vest pockets and he patted himself down while David watched on. "What are you looking for?" David was hushed when Jefferson stuck a single finger in the air. The man continued to turn is clothes inside out until he found what he was after.

"There you are." Jefferson smiled.

"I can't see anything, what do you have?"

"We are like six feet apart, David… You should have your eyes checked." The Hatter responded while pushing his arm through the bar to grasp the lock. After a few seconds, there was a loud click and then a tired screech as his door fell open. "It's a needle."

"You picked a lock with a sewing needle?"

"A man must be able to use his trade skills in any situation, and as I am a hatter… yes, I just picked that lock wit this needle." Jefferson smiled proudly. "Now, swing over here so I can do yours."

Without speaking, Charming shifted his weight back and forth until his cage was swaying wildly. The king had closed his eyes in the process. His grip on the rust metal bars turned his fingers white. A moment later, a crash forced his eyes wide open. Searching around him, Charming saw that Jefferson was not in his cage. "Hatter!?"

"Calm down, geeze. I am getting you out." The Hatter said, dangling in front of the King.

He fiddled with the lock for no time at all before the door opened. He sat up and pulled his feet out from under the bars that held him in the air, before jumping down to join the King. David patted the man on the shoulder, smiling stupidly.

"Nicely done." The King laughed. "Now, how do we get down?" He looked around.

"Well…." Jefferson grinned, looking up the chain. "How are your climbing skills?"

"Fair…"

"We are going to climb this and slide down that rope." He said pointing across the room.

"Alright but be careful, the guard is still around."

"It can never be easy." Jefferson mumbled before launching himself half way up the chain holding the cage.

Charming pulled himself up a few feet before closing his eyes to climb blindly. "I hate heights." He moaned.

#

Henry paced the small room, from wall to wall. The boy hadn't slept in days. His hair stood on end and his eyes were bloodshot. While he made one more pass over the room, a light caught his eye.

"Oh, yea!" He jumped, running toward the glowing stone.

As he ran his hand over the warm rock, it literally fell right out of the wall, flooding the cell with a bright white light. He stood in shock, shielding his face from the blinding beam. After a moment, the light faded revealing a simple, wooden staff. Reaching in carefully, he grabbed the top and pulled the stick from it's hiding place.

As soon as the whole object was clear of the stones, the light died completely and Henry's face sank into a frown. Lightly, he tapped the staff to the ground… nothing happened. He lifted above his head and swung it in the air… nothing.

"Oh come on!" He groaned.

"What is it, Henry?" Aurora called through the wall.

He walked over to their meeting place and dropped his voice, unsure if the guard was at his post. "I have this staff…"

"What kind of staff?"

"Jefferson said it was magical but I can't get it to work." He said, disappointed.

"Have you tried swinging it around a bit?"

"Yea. It didn't work."

"Well do you know any incantations?"

"Do you two pay any attention at all to the people around you?" An annoyed woman's voice rang out her tone was far beyond sarcastic.

"What do you mean?" Henry called back.

"Have you ever heard Rumplestiltskin say anything spell related?"

Henry shook his head after pondering on the question. "No."

"Exactly, my boy, you must believe in it. Will it to do what you need it to."

He concentrated on his task; he needed the door to unlock. Holding out the staff, It began to glow a light, lavender purple.

"But do be careful, you don't want to will it too hard you could blow th…."

Her words were cut short by a loud rumbling, followed by a ear shattering crash.

"The whole wall off." She whispered, shaking her head. "Charmings, I'm telling you..."

Smoke poured out of Henry's cell as he stood dumbfounded. Think black haze filtered out into the hallway as guards began calling out from the top of the stairs. Henry ignored his burning eyes and darted from the cell, staff in hand. "Stand back, Aurora!" He shouted, rounding on her door. Another burst of light sent the door flying backwards and shattering against the far wall.

She ran from the room, coughing. "Get her too." She yelled over the rapidly approaching voices.

"Stand back!"

"Kill me now." The old woman mumbled as her door too exploded.

"Come on!" Henry called making a break down the opposite side of the hall, not even checking to see who he had just let out. "I know the way!"

"Of course you do, you're a Charming, you know everything." The old woman sighed as she took off after the boy. Aurora was hot on their heels when she noticed a sword setting in the corner against the wall. In a mad dash, she grabbed up the sword and unsheathed it in one motion. As she turned, two men ran out of the smoke, weapons in hand. "Keep going Henry!" she screamed behind her.

Henry turned to see the princess standing before the men, swords in mid fight. He skidded to a halt before darting back after her. The old woman seemed to have come out of nowhere as she grabbed the boy by his waist and drug him away. "No, we have to help her!" He cried, fighting the woman.

"Henry Mills if you hit me one more time, I will eat your arms off."

Looking down, he realized that the woman who had hold of him was Widow Lucas, right away his retaliation seized. "Granny?!"

"Welcome to the party." She said sarcastically.

"We have to help her!" He cried out again, pulling from the woman.

"She can take care of herself, trust me on that one."

He allowed Granny to usher him down the hall. The clash of metal on metal echoed through the corridor as they ran away from the attack. Aurora yelled out in anger as her blade cut through the exposed flesh of one guard's face, sending him screaming into a pool of blood at her feet. As she squared off with the other, an arrow came from through the smoke, catching her in the shoulder. Without falter, she cut down the second man before breaking the shaft of the wooden arrow. Her sword had slipped from her grasp and slid backwards down the hall.

Looking up, she saw the archer standing across from her. In a flash, she bent down and grabbed a fallen guard's sword and spun wildly, releasing the blade mid-spin. She turned, grabbing her sword to follow her friends down the hall when an agonizing scream caught her ears. She smiled as she ran, aware that she had hit her target.

#

"Where are we going?" Aurora panted as they came to stop in front of an old rusted gate.

"There is supposed to be a water reservoir here…" Henry sighed, looking around.

"That has been long gone." Granny snorted. "Got a plan B?"

Henry shook his head in defeat. He stared up at Aurora and gasped at the blood staining her shirt.

"It's fine, Henry. Lets just get out of here." The princess said with a soft smile.

"I don't know where to go from here."

"Well, we have maybe five more minutes to stand around before…" Aurora's words were cut short by a loud screeching. The monkeys were in an uproar and the sound of their screams was almost painful to the trio. "Well shit."

"What is that?" Henry asked looking around.

"Screechers." Granny sighed. "Too late."

Just then, a boot came crashing through the gate beside them. Aurora, sword in hand, was the first to lunge forward.

"No! Hey!" David yelled at her.

"Charming?" Granny gawked.

"David!" Henry threw himself at the man, hugging his waist.

"Come on, lets get out of here!" The King called, pushing the boy behind him before pulling the women into the hole.

"Where are we going?" Henry squeaked, running blindly through the tunnel.

"Honestly, I don't know. Jefferson said that this was a good way out."

"Charmings." Granny huffed. "Where is Snow when you need her?"

"Where is Jefferson?" Henry turned to the King.

"He is going to find his daughter. He told me to go find you and get out of here." David said.

The tunnel opened up to a deep slope. There was once a moat at the bottom of the trench but it had long dried. They slid down the hill together and crumbled in a heap at the bottom. Dusting himself off, Charming looked around. "I have no idea where we are."

Granny laughed as she pulled herself out of the dirt. "Shocking."

David pulled Henry up to his feet and checked him over, before standing awkwardly in front of the group. He was obviously thinking too hard because a pained look crept up over his face. Turning around, he looked at the surrounding again. Before the King could open his mouth to speak, Aurora was already moving.

"Follow me." She said, pushing past the king. "I know where we are going. We are going to the Tin Man."

"Finally, someone with a brain." Widow Lucas said under her breath. She too passed Charming and was hot on Aurora's heels.

"The Tin Man?" David laughed. He followed behind the princess as she bolted down the empty trench.

The boy smiled up at the King and patted him on the back. "Just go with it, Gramps."

#

"Spread out." Rumple said, stepping away from the group. "But be quiet, we may not be alone."

Ruby took a breath and instantly covered her nose, her eyes dilated as they yellowed. "Oh God," She whined.

"Whats it?" Hook whispered.

Raising her hand in the air in front of her, she closed her eyes. "Hang on, nobody move." Straining her ears, the woman searched for the slightest sound. "Nope, we're alone… technically." Her voice was back to its usual.

"Technically?" The pirate shot her a sideways glance.

"By the smell of things, there are quite a few bodies under us. That or someone has a bucket of blood sitting around." She shrugged her shoulders and started down the stairs. "I'll go check."

BY the time Ruby vanished down to the first floor, Rumple had already seen the arrows thrown about and took to holding a glowing hand over them. Hook watched him passively while Neal continued to move around the room.

"Looks like a struggle." Hook hummed.

"No." Neal stopped next to the captain. "That was just dumped onto the floor. If there was struggle, those arrows would be everywhere and knowing those girls… there would be blood everywhere."

"Right. Good point."

"Of course there was no struggle, they didn't even fight back." Gold looked up to his son, "How could they when I have the damn bow and Emma's sword?"

"Easy mate, if they didn't want to go… they wouldn't have gone. The way I see it is we shouldn't worry too much about it. We just have to find them.

Neal's face twisted as his anger built. "Don't worry? Are you fucking crazy?! They are who knows where… maybe being tortured… they may have already been killed… and you aren't going to worry?!" He was inches from the pirate's face and his fists were curled tight.

"Calm down, boy." Hook laughed, trying to shrug off the obvious aggression issue that was bubbling in the man. "I said we should find them…"

"Shut up!" Neal closed the little bit of space that still remained between them, bouncing his chest off of Hook's. "You don't care about them!"

"What the bloody fuck are you talking about?!" Hook took several steps backwards but Neal followed him step for step.

"Bae! Enough. What has got into you, Son?" Rumple put himself between the two. "You need to calm down. He did nothing wrong."

"He doesn't care about what happens to Emma!" Neal spat.

"And here we go." Hook rolled his eyes.

"He never said that he didn't care, only that they can handle themselves and he is right, Bae. Stop."

Neal shook his head and lunged forward, trying to get a grab at the pirate. A cold wave rushed over him as he became immobile. His body was covered in a deep blue light.

"I said, enough." Rumple said softly. He had just lowered his hand when Neal started up again.

"Magic?! Really?! You don't understand!" He yelled.

"until you have calmed down." Gold sighed, shaking his head.

With another flick of his wrist, Neal fell silent. His face read pure rage as he silently screamed. Hook stood in the corner, far away from them. He looked both confused and hurt. Shaking his head, silently the pirate made his way to the stairs.

"Guys!" Ruby yelled. "You probably don't want to come down here."

Hook and Gold were already down the stairs when the woman called to them. "Too bloody late." Hook mumbled before swallowing down a gagging feeling.

Gold walked around casually, looking down on the scene. "Do you see them?"

"No they aren't here, thank god."

"Can I just go outside? Me guts aren't as strong as yours, apparently." Hook finished just in time to gag again.

"Go on." Rumple waved his hand, magically opening the door for the pirate who ran with both hands over his mouth. The early morning light flooded through the open door and across the floor of blood covered men.

Ruby shook her head before looking up at Gold. "Where is Neal?" She asked. She looked around and frowned.

"It would appear that my son has some anger problems that occur quite randomly." He shook his head. "So, he is currently somewhat tied up… until he calms down."

"I heard the bickering but I tuned it out."

"He came very close to attacking Mister Jones for literally no reason."

"Whatever." Ruby shrugged. "So, from what I can tell… that…" She said pointing to a dead man in green armor. "Is a guard….which would make these guys guards too." She kicked two bodies that laid off to the side.

"Okay so the Witch's guards were here but why?"

"No clue. As you can tell, they took down quite a few people."

Walking around the room, Gold searched the faces of the dead lying about. "I don't see Phoebus anywhere." He called.

"No. That weird red headed dude is here and the guy who took us upstairs is here too. I haven't seen the others though."

"Well, that means that either they were taken prisoner or they got away."

Ruby had made her way over to the door that Hook darted out of. She could see him pacing back and forth in front of the barn. "I can't get this smell out of my nose!" She moaned. "Alright, we are done here. Go check on Neal, I'm going to get some air, we will take off in a bit, I can already see the heel prints from here… I can track them."

#

"Bea? Are you going to talk to me like a civil human being if I take this off?"

Neal just glared back at him. Gold could see that he was no longer raging but he was far from calm. With a wave of his hand, the spell was released and Neal fell forward. The man didn't speak at first, he instead shook his head.

"What happened?" Gold stared his son in the face. He could see that the man was trembling in front of him. "Son, what is it?"

Neal turned away from his father and sighed loudly. "I don't know. I can't explain it, I just… Hook gets to me some times."

"I understand but he did not do or say anything offensive, I don't see why he upset you. You know how he is, you can never really take him seriously."

Neal looked back to his father and nodded. "Let's just get out of here and find them." He said, already making his way to the stairs.

By the time that Neal on Gold made it outside, Ruby was pacing impatiently. When she saw them come through the door, she practically jumped with excitement. "Finally! I have their scent, follow me." She yipped.

Hook stood back and looked at Neal who had not yet looked in his pirate wasn't sure if he should be getting his apology going or if he should be readying himself for a fist fight. He shifted his feet around and wiped his hook on his sleeve, anything to not look creepy. When Neal finally met his gaze, he smiled softly and approached him.

"I'm sorry man, I don't have a clue what got into me."

"It's fine, mate. Lucky for you, old Scaley was there though." He patted Neal's shoulder, "Thought I was going to have to take a go at you." He smiled.

Neal laughed as they started walking behind Ruby who clearly knew what she was after. The girl was half way up the hill in front of them before they started the climb. She had her nose to the air and a wide grin on her face. "Come on, slow pokes. Their scent is strong, they aren't far." She called down the hill to the men who were struggling up the steep-ish incline.

"Must you run, though?" Hook called back after her. "We don't all pad around on four legs, Lass."

"Especially not you, Hook! You slither!" She shot back, bouncing between the trees.

"Oh come on, Hook. For Red, this is just a walk in the park." Gold twirled his finger in the air and nodded his head playfully.

Neal laughed openly. "I see what you did there."

**Next go round there will be a bunch of action, the usual pinch of humor and a good bit of rooooomance headed your way... Nothing is better than morning sex, I'll let you think on that. ;) -DR**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here you are. A bit of a warning, this chapter includes a great deal of sexy time between out two favorite ladies. Enjoy that. I lied about what to expect in this chapter, last time... There is like no action in here, unless you count some lovely lesbian action. haha. Oh, i'm funny. Ahem... Happy reading!**

As the sun shined down onto the hut- like building it warmed the tiny room drastically. The heat slowly pulled Regina from her peaceful sleep. Cracking a lid, she looked around and stretched out her arms. She was noticing how sore she was when she noticed the arm draped over her hip… her naked hip. _Holy shit I'm naked! Why am I naked?! _ She thought as she became perfectly still. Trying to remember the night before, all the memories came flooding in. _Oh wow. That really happened. _As one image after the next of a naked Emma writhing under her sweaty body flashed across her eyes, the queen nearly exploded with laughter. Her face was burning bright red.

Slowly and carefully she rolled over to face the blonde who was snoring still. She watched the woman silently; her mouth was open slightly and her breathing was deep. Long waves of gold fell across the sleeping woman's face and the urge to tuck it behind her ear proved too much for the queen. Gently, she pushed the stands away from Emma's face to reveal a soft pink cheek. A broad smile spread across her face as she let herself lean down and plant a kiss there.

Emma smiled in her sleep and tightened her grip on Regina's hip, pulling them closer together. The queen just couldn't help but cover the blonde's exposed neck in feather light kisses. She ran her fingers through Emma's hair for what she told herself would be the last time she would do so that morning. She was so caught up in how the golden strands slid through her fingers that she didn't see that the savior had awakened.

"Good morning." Emma whispered with a smile.

Regina thought about jerking her hand away from the woman and acting like nothing had happened but instead, she met the bright green eyes beside her and smiled. "Hello, beautiful."

The queen slid her had from in the blonde waves and let it come to rest on Emma's jaw. They both smiled as they shared their first morning kiss, short and sweet.

"Do you know what time it is?" the blonde asked looking around.

"No… Why would it even matter? Do you have a hot date that you're in danger of missing?" Regina's early morning humor wasn't the best.

"Just you." Emma smiled, pulling the queen into another kiss. Her hands roamed freely across flawless, olive skin.

What started off as gentle stroking swiftly turned to lustful grabbing as their kissing deepened. Regina allowed the blonde to run her hand up and down her leg and exposed side. When Emma's fingers grazed over the inside of her thigh, the queen pulled out of their kiss and shook her head.

"Are you in a hurry, Dear?" she raised a brow.

"No, of course not… I just…"

"You just think you're in charge here?" Regina cut in, sarcastically.

Emma laughed and shook her head. "Are you telling me that I'm not?"

The queen's challenging gaze made Emma's smile turned devious as she sat up. Without warning, the blonde launched herself on top of the brunette and pressed her body flat against her. Surprise flashed in Regina's eyes but her face remained the same; a challenging smirk. She pursed her lips while the blonde playfully pinned her hands over her head.

"Pretty sure I am." Emma said softly, stretching up to kiss the queen's cheek.

Emma hadn't noticed that the queen wasn't fighting back. She let the blonde be cocky for a moment. Regina rolled her eyes and lifted her head to look Emma in the face. "Is that what you think?" she asked flatly.

Emma faltered for a split second, trying to choose her words carefully and the queen saw it. In one motion the tables turned for the savior. She felt herself being lifted and then slammed onto the mattress before she even realized what had happened. Looking up, frazzled, Emma was forced to stare into the chocolate eyes in front of her face.

The queen smiled challengingly, yet again. "Miss Swan, you really have no idea who you're dealing with."

Sitting up, Regina carefully straddled Emma's waist. The heat from the blonde's sex sent chills over the queen's body. Green eyes watched as bums appeared all over the olive skin in front of her. Emma pulled a brow up and put on a faux-serious face. "Being dominate turns you on." She nodded to the woman's arm. "That's obvious."

"You would not know _obvious _if it smacked you across the face." her voice was cool and calm but it dripped with sarcasm.

"Is that so?"

"I believe it is."

"You have no idea what you are dealing with, my queen." Her tone was smooth, teasing.

Emma watched as Regina's eyes lightened to an almost golden brown and dilated. Suddenly, the blonde felt very warm. Her face flushed pink. She let her eyes scan the naked woman sitting on her, ignoring the temperature spike. When her eyes met her own pale skin, her stomach flipped. Her eyes lingered on the place where their bodies met. Regina's dark skin sat heavily just below the blonde's belly button and Emma couldn't help but think about the moisture building at that junction, the thought alone made her tingle.

"Do you see something you like, dear?" Regina's voice was sharp, startling.

Emma slowly raised her gaze to meet the queen's eyes. The corner of her lips rose slightly, she felt like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Regina's judging gaze made her insides burn. She fought hard to remain still under the woman; she knew that the smallest movement would not go unnoticed.

Finally the queen let her mouth turn upward; she knew Emma wouldn't challenge her now. Slowly, she leaned down and drug the tip of her tongue across the exposed pale flesh before her. On contact, the blonde sucked air through clenched teeth. The drawn out hiss made the queen shudder, as heat rushed over her. Emma was ever so slowly pushing herself to meet the queen's touch and in doing so she was rubbing her hips against Regina's core.

Closing her eyes, the queen took a pert nipple between her lips. Secretly, Regina was screaming in her head. She wanted so badly to let Emma take her but she had a point to prove, she couldn't submit now. Instead, she kissed the places that she knew would make the blonde move her body to meet against her own.

After a while, Regina could take no more. Emma was now bucking against her and she could feel her own wetness pooling on the blonde's skin. As if reading the queen's mind, Emma whimpered. "Please."

Regina slid down the blonde's body and planted light kisses as she went. When her hand grazed Emma's mound, her pale legs shot open willingly. The queen practically fell into the gap. She wasted no time, going in for the kill. With one confident hand she eased the blonde's glistening folds apart and ran her tongue up the crease and came to rest on the woman's bud.

Emma shuddered instantly as a deep groan escaped her lips. Her eyes slammed shut and her hand flew down to tangle in the queen's soft hair. She couldn't stop herself from pushing down to meet the woman's movements.

Fearing for her face, Regina pulled up and replaced her tongue with a skilled finger. She made short, quick rotations across the nerve. When the blonde began to rock her hips harshly, the queen slowly inserted two fingers from her other hand into the woman. Emma's moans quickly turned to shrill cries as she threw herself down onto the queen's hands over and over.

Emma was close and Regina knew it. The queen could feel her own walls tightening as her lover continued to scream out. Just as she was sure Emma would come undone, the blonde sat up and pulled herself away from the queen's soaked hands.

Regina's face fell into a frown. "What's wrong, did I hurt you?"

The blonde's chest heaved as she shook, catching her breath. "No." She panted. "I want to finish together."

"What an odd request." The queen shook her head. "Okay well, you're in luck," she smiled.

#

As Ruby made it to the clearing at the top of the hill, she took a deep breath. She smiled wildly and shook her head. "We should stop for a minute." She called down to the boys who were still a bit from the top.

"Why?" Neal looked very confused.

"Is everything okay, Luv?" Hook asked looking around.

"Yea, no, everything is fine… I just think we should rest for a minute. My feet are killing me." She lied.

Rumple looked at the woman suspiciously before looking out over the land. In the distance, across the clearing, he saw a small building. He didn't know why they were really stopping but he knew that Ruby wasn't sore.

Neal saw the building too. His face fell flat as he began to walk slowly in that direction. "They are in there, aren't they?" he asked, hesitantly.

Ruby rolled her eyes and internally cursed herself for not being able to lie well. "Well…" she started, begging Rumple to stop his son with her eyes. "They are in there… for sure."

Gold took the hint and started after his son. "Bea wait."

"If they are there, we need to get to them." He stopped and turned to face the man behind him. Neal looked confused as he stared at his father.

"I know son, but we should wait… We don't know the situation yet."

"I don't care, I'm going."

Hook stood at the tree line with his arms crossed. When he turned to Ruby she looked terrified. "What is it?" he whispered.

"Can you just get him back there, please?!" Her brows were high as she stared the pirate in the face.

"Are they okay?" He tried again.

"More that okay, I can assure you. Just get him!" she had a half crazed look about her now and Hook got the point.

"Ah." He winked. "Not a problem lass."

He strolled out into the field where Neal and Rumple were inching closer and closer in the direction of the hut. "Listen boy, we need to wait here. Ruby says there are guards and we should wait til they leave."

"We can fight them!" Neal shouted.

Rumple dove for the man and covered his mouth with his hand. "Bealfire, are you trying to get us killed? Don't make me render you immobile and silent again because I will." He growled into Neal's ear.

#

Emma slowly climbed up to straddle her queen's hips. Her body began trembling again, to hold off as long as she could, the blonde leaned up and began gently kneading the queen's breasts. Emma knew that they were both close to their ends but she didn't want to ruin the moment by finishing too soon.

As pale hands gripped at her tender flesh, Regina let out a long sigh. Her head was spinning and she could feel her core twitch with anticipation. Opting to draw it out as long as she could, the queen closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. Suddenly a warm, damp mouth descended onto her skin. The contact jolted a pleasured moan from her throat and Emma hummed in response.

The blonde pushed herself further up the queen to meet her lips. For a moment, they laid chest to chest as one. Unable to hold her composure, the queen forced her hand into blonde waves before mashing their mouths together aggressively.

Emma moaned into Regina's mouth while snaking her hand back to the queen's breast. She began to squeeze more roughly than before, pulling at the flesh every so often. The brunette pushed her body off of the mattress and gasped at the increased pressure.

Just then, it dawned on Emma that her queen probably liked it a bit rougher than she originally thought. Testing her theory, the blonde broke their kiss and moved her lips to Regina's neck. She kissed her softly at first and then lightly scrapped her teeth across her olive skin. Instantly the queen's hand slammed onto Emma's back and gripped her tightly. The blonde could feel the woman rocking under her as she followed the line of Regina's neck to the muscle that connected to her shoulder. There, she nibbled at first, teasing the woman, all the while inching off of the queen's hips to slide between her legs.

Regina bit her lip to keep from calling out. She wasn't ready to give the blonde that victory just yet but it was becoming pretty difficult to keep quiet. Emma's tone thigh nested tightly against the queen's heat causing her to instinctively buck her hips into the blonde.

Emma lifted her thigh, slightly and sank her teeth into the meat beside Regina's collar bone. That did it. Regina pulled in a sharp breath and when she let out her whole body rumbled before a high moan erupted from her lips. She couldn't hold it back, the moan quickly turned to a cry when the blonde slid her hand between them. A cocky grin stretched across Emma's face and she did her best to suck the skin into her mouth.

#

Ruby's head quickly turned to the direction of the hut. Her ears were burning with the rumble of the queen's cries. Rudy shuddered as a cold wave fell over her. She looked away from the source of the sounds but it was too late, Neal had seen her.

"What is it Ruby? What's happening?" He growled, making his way back to her. His eyes were full of worry laced with a growing anger.

She couldn't tell him. Her face turned bright red and she had never wished so badly to be deaf. She looked up to meet Neal's eyes but was instead met with Rumple's. He had jumped in between them so to not be heard.

"Just nod your head," he whispered. "Are they in trouble?"

She shook her head slightly. He could see the small smile on her face and the embarrassment in her eyes. "They are…" he started before Neal was next to them.

"What?" he shot.

"Neal, listen to me, you need to stay right here." She said coolly.

"That means they are in trouble, we have to save them!" He turned and stormed off.

"Neal! They don't want to be saved!" She called after him. "You don't want to do this!"

It was too late, he was too far out. Hook looked to Rumple, knowingly, before darting after his friend. "Mate, you don't understand!" he cried as he grabbed the man's arm, slowing him down.

"They need us, Hook." Neal was slightly out of breath. They stood by the hut as Ruby and Rumple padded up beside them. Ruby looked absolutely horrified and it fed Neal's worry.

#

Dull fingernails dug into the blonde's skin as she continued to grind her leg against the woman. She could feel her skin breaking under the queen's grip, it burned like fire but it just made her want more. Before Emma could do more damage to the Regina's shoulder, the queen pulled her away from her skin. "Get up here." She hissed.

The savior climbed back atop her queen and smiled down on her. With one hand, brunette grabbed a fist full of blonde hair and jerked the woman into a heated kiss, their lips had barely met before Regina's tongue was searching the inside of Emma's mouth. Her other hand pushed its way under the blonde and began stroking her wetness rapidly.

Emma sat up and let her head fall back as she rode the olive hand beneath her. Remembering they wanted to finish together, the blonde brought a hand behind her before finding the queen's throbbing clit. Emma quickly began mimicking the queen's movements as she continued to rock hard against the woman. Soon both women where moving erratically against one another. Their breathing was harsh and ragged. Emma was the first to whimper: she could feel herself coming undone. A groaning started in Regina's chest and when it made it to her lips, it was a shrill cry; she was losing it. She bounced her hips rhythmically under the blonde, causing them both to pick up speed.

Emma looked down into her lover's eyes. "Don't close your eyes." She whispered.

Regina stared hard into the green eyes above her. It's always harder to keep her eyes open when you're asked to. Both of their mouths hung open as they fought to keep air in their lungs. Emma brought her free hand to lay on the queen's flexed abdomen to steady herself as Regina bucked wildly. Every breath that was expelled from the queen grew louder and louder. This was it. Emma held her breath and focused on her queen's end, she didn't expect the brunette to quicken her own pace but she did. Seconds later loud, drawn out screams echoed in the room as they came together, harder than either had ever before. Emma threw her violently shaking body down on top of Regina's. For a moment, they laid there panting and laughing together.

#

"Did you fucking hear that?!" Neal jumped. "They are being fucking tortured! I'm going in!"

Before anyone could stop him, Neal opened the first door. Quietly he strolled in, eyes searching for guards as he came to the only door in the hall. He paused, listening. From the other side, he could hear staggered breathing and it made his blood pump faster.

Ruby crossed her arms and leaned against the building while Hook followed Neal in. He didn't want the man to have to face what he knew was coming, on his own. Secretly he just wanted to see the look on his face.

Rumple stayed outside with the woman who had flushed to almost purple at the sound that turned Neal into a hero. "They are having sex, aren't they?" He whispered.

She nodded silently, biting her lip.

"And you could hear all of it?"

She nodded again. She looked like she may cry from embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, dearie. Is that all?"

When she shook her head, his brows shot up. "No?"

"I can… smell them." She whispered in a high pitch.

"Oh God!" he crumbled, trying not to laugh. Before he could apologize, a giant crash rang out behind the door.

Ruby cupped her face with her hands and waited.

As Neal fell through the door, he was met with Emma's naked ass pointed right at him. He gasped and started to cover his face. Emma and Regina both jumped and turned to face the door. Neither of them had thought to cover themselves in the process.

"Neal?!" Emma screeched.

"OH GOD!" He jumped back again as horror twisted his features. "I thought you were in trouble!" His voice cracked badly. "I was here to save you."

"Clearly we are not in need of your heroism, dear. If you would so kindly…" Regina waved her hand at the man, shooing him away.

He stood in place for a moment before his burning cheeks made him turn away. As he sulked from the room, he was met with Hook leaning against the wall by the door. The pirate frowned at the man as he walked right past him. "Was it everything you had hoped it would be, mate?" he called at Neal's back.

Ruby and Gold stood outside and tried to look as passive as they could but as soon as Neal walked out the door, they buckled. Gold was laughing so hard that no sound was coming from his mouth. Ruby on the other hand felt terrible.

"I tried to tell you." She pleaded.

"Yea, excuse me, I'm going to go puke now." He walked across the field, away from the hut.

Shaking her head, Ruby walked into the hut, she was followed closely by Mr. Gold. When they came to the door, they could hear the women inside laughing.

"Are you decent, dearies?" Gold called out.

"Come on in." Emma called back.

The three walked into the room one after the other, Ruby leading the way. Rumple walked in just in time to see Emma pulling her tank top down over her bra clad breasts. He looked away respectfully while Hook stared like an idiot. Regina was fully dressed and sitting silently on the bed next to them.

"How did you find us?" Emma finally asked.

"Miss Lucas…" Rumple started. He was cut off by Ruby almost instantly.

"I followed your scent."

"Our scent?" Emma narrowed her eyes at the girl. "You tracked our scent?"

"Oh yea…" she smiled. "And let me just say… about the time I made it to the top of that hill… mmm… there was _A lot_ of it."

"Gross" the queen mumbled.

"Well, if you two are quite finished… we should go find my heart broken, infant of a son…" Gold stated, waving his hand for everyone to head out.

"We are never going to live this down." Emma said as they made it through the door.

"Oh, Lassies…. I quite enjoyed the show, myself." Hook smiled.

Both Emma and Regina rolled their eyes at the pirate as they walked right past him and into the meadow.

"At least we found them. "Gold chuckled, having watched the exchange ahead of him.

Ruby scoffed at the older man as she stared straight ahead. "More like they found each other… I am never going to be able to get this smell out of my nose." She shook her head mournfully.

**Next go round we will see a new character and we will get to see a more aggressive side of Ruby. It's much cooler than it sounds, I promise. If you would like to see your favorite Disney or fairy tale personality written into this story, shoot me a comment... I love a challenge. Thanks for reading! -DR**

**Oh... and thanks to the guest who pointed out my poo issue... you know who you are, even if I don't. =p **


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry it took so long peeps, homework comes first... unfortunately. Let me just say, college is not as awesome as it sounds. Aaaaanywho, happy reading! **

19.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Emma asked. She was having a hard time making her way through the wooded area. Repeatedly, she had tripped over sticks and vines on the ground. Her face had been a constant light pink since their _rescue_ and Neal still hadn't even so much as looked at her.

"We won't have to go anywhere if you keep walking like a newborn elk…" Rumple said playfully. "We can just let you make all the racket and wait to be carted off by screechers." He smiled, waving his hand around in the air between them.

Regina laughed quietly to herself while she watched Emma turn a few shades darker. They had been walking for hours but the blonde still hadn't got the groove down. Regina couldn't help but notice that Emma had been watching her from the corner of her eye more than she had actually been watching where she was walking. It was no surprise to the queen that her lover currently had no sense of focus.

Hook and Neal were a quite a bit ahead of the group. They walked in silence for the majority of the journey, every now and then Hook would try to start a conversation only to be given the cold shoulder. Neal knew that it wasn't Killian's fault but he was far too embarrassed of his own actions to even care about how the pirate felt. He couldn't handle the way Hook would rub the whole situation in his face.

The group soon came into a small opening that was lined with tall, leafy trees and slowed their pace. Red padded ahead of the lovers and Gold; she came up behind Neal and Hook before they would stop for a break. Looking around, Emma managed to catch her toe on the only exposed root on the ground. She stumbled forward, ramming her shoulder into Gold's back. "Honestly, dearie... Do i need to carry you?! This is getting ridiculous..."

"Stop, shut up." Ruby hissed behind her at the bickering man. She took a deep breath and darted around, nose in the air.

"What is it?" Regina asked. She stopped and stood with her weight on one leg and her hands firmly on her hips.

"There is someone here." Ruby whispered.

In the blink of an eye, everyone pulled in tightly. Regina had taken back her bow and stood ready, searching for movement while everyone else drew their swords. A rustling above their heads sent them scattering into attack mode.

"Screechers!" Neal shouted, backing against a tree and looking up.

Silence fell across the group and for a moment they all stood perfectly still. Ruby's eyes were bright yellow and her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She could smell something… someone, extremely close but she couldn't see them. The smell was not that of a screecher but it wasn't pleasant either. In fact, it made her feel oddly aggressive. The smell was not foreign to her, she knew that much but she couldn't place it.

A soft thud behind Ruby made the whole clan swing around. When she turned to face the sound, she was met with a pair of the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. She stepped back, ready to attack. Her skin felt like it was crawling right from her body as every hair she had stood straight up. She was so focused on the eyes in front of her that she hardly noticed the light rumble coming from her throat.

There in front of them knelt a man with shoulder length, feathering, coal black hair covering his face. As he stood, his locks fell away revealing a long pink scar that cut through his brow and down his face. He stood stock still, his muscles were clearly visible under a thin, once white tee shirt. After a moment of stand-offish silence, Regina spoke. "Who are you?" she called. "I have my arrow set on your heart, dear and I will not miss."

The man backed up and put his hands in the air, laughing awkwardly. "Who should I address with my reply?" his voice was smooth, suave.

Without warning, Ruby lunged out to grab him but he was just as quick as she was. He stepped to the side and she fell to the ground. Hands still in the air, he frowned. "You all saw that I did not touch her, I don't want trouble."

"Then answer me." Regina was extremely level headed at the moment but her fingers tightened around her bow.

"My name is Ko-evin, Ahem Kevin." He put his hand to his chest and smiled charmingly before reaching a hand to Ruby who smacked him away.

Emma eyed him suspiciously before approaching him. "Kevin, huh? Where are you from?"

"Not here. I got pulled from the Pride Land by a dirt devil…" he shrugged. "Now I live in this tree." He smiled, pointing up.

Emma's brows were high and her mouth fell open. "The Pride Land?"

"You know it?"

"Maybe." She looked over to Neal for help but he stared ahead, ignoring her. "Pride… as in lions… you're from Africa?"

"Yes." He smiled even wider and arched a scar ruined brow. "I am no lion, of course."

The blonde studied him carefully. "Of course not..." Her eyes narrow, "Who were you back in your land?"

"I was myself, obviously." He looked down for a second and then snapped back to Emma's eyes. "I am no one special."

"Uh-huh…" She narrowed her eyes, having seen the man falter. "Well, _No one special_, are you alone here?"

"I am."

"Can you fight?"

He chuckled before bring his hand to his chest. "I, I am not usually a fighter… But I can if needed." His eyes drifted to Ruby who was now squatting on the ground, catching his every move.

Emma parted her lips to speak but promptly shut them when Regina's stern voice cut through the air

"If you are truly alone, join us. We are going to go fix all this nonsense… We could use more help." She said to the surprise of everyone around her.

Ruby's face was hot with anger. There was something about this guy that she didn't like but she wasn't sure what it was. She shook her head and looked to the queen. "Regina, we have no idea who he really is." She barked as she stood up.

"Look at it this way, Red…" She smirked. "If he does anything stupid, I'll cook his ass." She finished with a short demonstration of her beloved fireball. It sat flickering in her palm and the stranger looked like he could faint. Satisfied by his reaction, she closed her fingers around it and snuffed the flame into smoke.

"You're a witch." He gasped.

"A witch?! How dare you." Regina scoffed. "I, Sir, am a queen."

Rumple and Hook were both laughing. The man took a step back and bowed deep, letting his hair fall across his face. "My apologies, your majesty."

Regina glared silently at him and shook her head before Emma reached down and grabbed her hand. When the brunette turned to look at her, a pale hand squeezed her fingers. "He doesn't know, Regina. Let him up."

"Fine, stand." She said, waving her hand.

"Is this your kingdom?" Kevin asked, meeting the queen's harsh gaze.

"It was… Once upon a time."

"You were over thrown, then?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I lost it because of my own greed . We will say that I willingly forfeited the land for the betterment of the people and myself."

He stared off behind the woman for a moment. His face was obviously that of someone deep in thought. Rumple and the pirate had shifted from being amused to being worried when the man brought up Regina's past. They stood wide-eyed, waiting for the man to choose his next words.

Looking back to Regina, Kevin pulled his brows high. "I have heard tell of a queen who ruled this land… An evil queen… this is you?"

Emma slammed her eyes shut before the man's words had left his lips. Quickly, she tightened her grip on Regina's hand. The last thing she wanted was for her lover to attack a man who didn't know any better. Behind them, Rumple's eyes looked like they could pop right out of his skull. He looked rapidly between the boy and Regina, expecting serious backlash. He took a step forward, to perhaps intersect her oncoming assault. Next to Rumple, Hook stood with his nose pinched between his fingers; he couldn't believe the kid just went there but much to everyone's surprise, Regina simply nodded, not even batting a lash as the boy.

"Long ago, that was me, yes but that woman is dead." She said proudly.

Ruby rounded on the unsuspecting man. She launched herself into the air and caught him hard in the mouth and chin with a tight fist. There was so much force behind her swing that he stumbled backwards, throwing his hand to his face. Instead of coming back at her, though, Kevin stood firmly and smiled, examining the scarlet lines that stained his finger tips. Emma and Hook ran up to detain the girl who was still swinging wildly at the air.

"How dare you disrespect our queen?! You are not fit to stand in her shadow, you…" Ruby was crazed, she screamed like a mad woman before Emma snaked a hand over her mouth and pulled her away.

"What the hell, Ruby? Are you crazy?!" Emma hissed at her.

Rumple stood in between them. After Ruby was secured a few paces backwards, he turned to the man.

"Are you alright, dearie?"

"Sure, I'm okay. It's not a problem." He smiled.

"I haven't a clue what has got into her. She isn't usually violent." Rumple shook his head, looking back to where Emma was quietly scolding the girl.

"No, she is charming. I would expect nothing less from her kind."

"Her… Kind? I'm sorry, what is her kind exactly?"

"A loyal follower of a queen, of course but more importantly…" He smiled wide, exposing pearly white teeth. "A woman."

Gold and Hook both let out the breath they had been holding. Chuckling awkwardly, they made eye contact and shared a relieved look. Now was not the time for Ruby's secret to be put on display.

"Oh, yes." Gold laughed. "Yes. Yes. Yes. You must look out for those women."

"Aye." Hook nodded.

#

"Ruby… what just happened?" Emma's tone was very serious.

"He disrespected Regina, I couldn't let him get away with that!" She shimmied out of the blonde's grip and crossed her arms in front her chest with a huff.

"You don't even like Regina!"

"That's not true!" Ruby shifted awkwardly, looking up to the queen who was standing next to them.

Regina laughed at the fear in the woman's voice. She rolled her eyes and waved her hand for them to let it go and continue.

"What is really going on?" Emma narrowed her eyes. "Remember my superpower."

"Nothing, okay. There is something about him, I don't trust him and he needed to know who is in charge."

At that, Emma's mouth turned up into a smile. "And you… are in charge, around here?"

"No! God no. I am just the guard dog."

Regina snorted before covering her lips gracefully. "How true that is, Dear." She mumbled behind her fingers.

Emma glared at the queen her before taking Ruby by the elbow. "Come on, you're apologizing."

"Like hell I am." Ruby hissed, digging her heels into the ground.

"Damn it, Rubes! Go! Now!"

As Emma turned around, she was met with two bright green eyes, feet from her face. She jumped in surprise before letting Ruby go. The wolf-girl backed behind Emma to stand by the queen. Kevin smiled, looking past the blonde, he linked eyes with Ruby and chuckled lightly.

"No need for apologies… Ruby, was it?" He finished with a wink.

Laughing angrily Ruby went to lunge forward again when Regina caught her by the back of her vest. "Heel, pooch." She whispered stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Whatever this weird shit is, let's just go, okay? Henry needs us." Neal whined, walking past them and up the hill without another word.

Hook watched as the others ignored the obviously upset man disappearing into the trees. "Should we… um…follow?" he asked, pointing to where Neal last stood.

"I'll be happy when he gets over this." Emma sighed under her breath. "Alright, Kevin? If you are coming with us, you will have to earn my trust." She pointed up the hill "You're with Hook and Mr. Gold, go on." She nodded and then rounded on the red tipped brunette." Ruby you're staying right with me."

Kevin grinned as Gold led him away and Hook followed behind. The men headed out over the hill while the women hung back, Emma wasn't quite finished. Red was furious but didn't let it show. She turned to the queen with her eyes still on Emma. "Keep an eye on him, he isn't who he says he is." She whispered.

"Red, dear, he didn't say he was anyone…"

"That's my point."

#

They cleared the next couple of miles in silence. Neal had fallen back to walk with the other men but he still made no effort to speak, though he eyeballed the tan new comer suspiciously every now and then. Eventually they came to the top of a ridge that looked down over a patch of dark green foliage. In the middle of the sea of green sat a stone castle surrounded by a golden courtyard.

"There she is, gentlemen." Gold waved his hand, nonchalantly before turning.

Emma was right behind him and the other two followed closely behind her. When they came to stand behind Gold, Emma's eyes widened for a second. "This is your castle?"

"Indeed it is."

"I believe you mean _was_, Mate." Hook added.

"It will be again once we take care of things." Gold stared off across his land and shook his head.

"Well, how do we get down there?" Regina asked, looking over the edge of the cliff. "That is a seriously steep drop off, Gold."

"On a normal day, we would get there by magic, but… seeing how that just isn't an option at the moment…" He walked over to a large, seemingly flat rock, half buried in the clay. "We will go this way."

"We are taking a rock?" Emma laughed.

"We will ride it in like a magic carpet, dearie." His voice was very sarcastic.

Regina snorted before rubbing her lips together to keep from laughing further. Hook left Neal and Kevin to stand over by Gold; he tapped his hook on the rock a few times before turning to look at the older man.

"Let me guess… Secret passage under the castle?"

"But of course." Gold smiled.

"Does everything have to be so predictably stereotypical around here?" Emma huffed crossing her arms.

"Welcome to Fairy Tale Land, Daring." Regina chuckled.

"It's hardly just Fairy tale land around here anymore. It's more like a Walt Disney movie mash-up."

"I'm sorry, a who?" Gold turned his head to the side and stared at the blonde. Everyone had made their way around her as if she would tell them a bedtime story.

Emma sighed heavily before looking up to meet Gold's eyes. "Walt Disney… He made children's movies… Such as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

"I'm sorry, I'm not following." Hook shook his head.

Before Emma could explain further, Neal finally spoke up. "Everyone here was in a story, granted they were way off but still… Disney made movies out of some of those stories. Movies are like moving drawings, pictures. That's all you need to know… Now, move the damn rock." He hissed at his father.

"Um, I cannot use magic, Bea or have you forgotten? We have to move it together." Gold looked around. "All of us."

"Fine, can we just… Let's just get on with it." Neal mumbled as he took up a spot next to the rock.

"Find a place, we will need everyone." Gold waved, taking to stand next to his son. "We will lift it straight up and lay it to the right."

Emma stood next to Gold and pointed to Ruby to come next to her. Hook stepped over between Kevin and Regina. Kevin was next to Neal and directly across from Ruby. When he realized where his line of sight would fall, he smiled as Ruby huffed quietly and rolled her eyes.

A sea of hands groped around the rough surface. The stone's edges were jagged, unwelcoming even, but everyone found a good spot to hold onto. When Gold was sure everyone was going to do their part, he spoke firmly. "Alright then... On my count." He said, bending down to grip the edge of the massive stone. "One, two…. Three."

There was a collective grunt as everyone strained to lift it. The rock shifted slightly but wouldn't come up enough to move. Ruby lost her footing and fell backward with a thud. Quickly she jumped back to her feet and moaned as she put all her strength into lifting. Mr. Gold looked around at all the pained faces that were actively turning red before stopping them.

"Well, that won't do." He chuckled.

"Now what?" Emma sighed. She moved her hand to rub the obviously embarrassed brunette to her side. Red however, pulled away and turned her back to the group. She took a deep breath before leaning back against the stone.

"Just lift it, Scaley. It will only take a moment. Surely…" Hook started.

"Listen, Seaweed…" Regina cut in, glaring hard at the pirate. "We can't use magic."

Gold tapped his finger on his chin before turning to the queen. "Not physical magic, at least."

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

"Well, there are different kinds of magic, as we all…" He looked at Kevin for a moment, "Well, most of us, know."

"Yea, and?" Emma rolled her hand in front of her to speed him along.

"So impatient." Gold frowned. "Physical magic this close to the castle would tip the Witch off for certain but internal magic is another thing all together."

Regina rolled her eyes at the older man. "What are you talking about, Gold?"

"I am talking about magic you feel, dearie. Those of us who have magic can attempt to channel it into our physical strength."

Emma crossed her arms and glared at him. "wait wait, what? Internal magic… channeled physically? Honestly… you are making no sense at all."

"Miss Swan, pay attention. Remember the dream catcher you used on Pongo?" He asked flatly.

The blonde's cheeks flushed a bright pink as she recalled the steps leading up to her accusing Regina of murder. She put her head down quickly, avoiding the queen's gaze. Gold giggled and pointed a wiggling finger at the woman. "Oh come, come. I know you do."

"Okay… " she mumbled.

"lovely! You used internal magic there… Channeled it to the dream catcher. Here it is the same only you keep it all in, focus it into your own physical strength."

"Like magic steroids…" Emma rolled her eyes at her own words.

"Precisely. While we do that, the others can also lift it and bada-boom." He said mocking a poof with this hand. "aaaand those of us who have the ability to channel animal like strength should do it at that time." He finished, meeting Ruby's eyes.

"How do you even channel magic? That makes no sense… I mean how could that even be possible? I can't even do real magic most days..." Emma shook her head, halting her own babbling.

"You just have to…" Gold started.

"If you say _believe_, I will come across this rock… So help me…"

"Well, well, well well well well, dearie…. it would appear that you already have your answer."

"I hate this place." She mumbled while taking her place on the rock. She met Regina's amused eyes before she closed her own and tried to compose herself. _Here's to not blowing everyone up, I guess. Oh God, I hope I don't blow everyone up! _Emma thought to herself as she squeezed her lids tighter. Soon a light humming started in her ears. The sound slowly grew to a roar quite like the ones she experienced in her dreams. Unable to open her eyes, Emma gripped the cold stone harder and focused on the feel of it against her palms.

#

Everyone had taken their places around the bolder and had been silently trying to deal with their own energy when the mass shifted. Gold stood wide-eyed while he watched Emma, Regina and Ruby, all with their eyes closed, slowly lifting the rock together. Both Neal and Hook stepped away from their posts and watched silently; gazes glued on Emma.

"Tell me you see that." Hook whispered.

"Oh I see it, I am not surprised though."

"I hope they are going to be enough because I am not touching that thing, I would rather keep my good hand away from this explosion in the making."

Neal just nodded as he shifted his gaze to his father who too had closed his eyes. A small gasp left him as he watched the gold flakes on Rumple's flesh slowly grow. The patches were stretching across the older man's face in wide bands. Shaking his head, Neal looked back to the blonde who was obviously straining against the weight of the rock. Her body was shaking lightly as the mass continued to shift ever so slowly.

Kevin pulled up on the rock as best he could but he knew he was not enough help. For a moment, he watched the muscles in Ruby's arms jerk and quiver. Smiling knowingly, he shifted his gaze down on his target. Slowly a burning sensation pulled through his body, his vision was sharpening but his hearing was growing fuzzy. He knew the boys were talking but he couldn't make out the words. He closed his eyes and shut out the light, he was now deaf and blind. After a stagnant moment, the man felt the muscles in his legs, arms and back expand. With a giant breath he gripped the stone tightly with his palms flat under the weight of it. He dropped his ass to the ground, bending his knees as far as he could. A deep groan started in his lungs as he pushed himself and the rock up off the forest floor.

Neal and Hook quickly changed their attention to the new comer who has suddenly grown in bulk. "Holy shit, man… No way." Neal whispered, elbowing the pirate hard in the side.

"I see it."

"What is he doing? He is hulking out hardcore."

"He is what?" Hook cocked a brow at the man.

"Eh… Never mind… What the fuck kind of sound is he making?"

"I don't have a clue, mate. It sounds a bit like a pissed off crocodile…" Hook chuckled. "Not your father though, his pitch is much higher."

Suddenly, the sounds of the world rushed back into Kevin's ears, there was a loud rumbling all around him. He pulled up and to the right, spinning the stone away from the hole it covered. As the mass came to a stop, Kevin's foot slid, causing him to hit the dirt. On impact, he realized that the growl was coming from him.

Letting go, Emma, Regina and Ruby stared at each other before coming around to the fallen man. Gold on the other had gone to his son first. He leaned in close to his boy, to not be over heard. "Did you see all of that?"

"Oh yea, weirdest shit I have ever seen." Neal mumbled.

"Now, Bealifire… I highly doubt it was the _weirdest _thing…" Hook cut in.

Emma knelt down and tapped the down man on his chest. "Are you okay, dude?"

"Yes, ma'am. I just need a moment." He said, cheerfully with his eyes still glued shut.

The blonde and her queen stood against the rock and made quiet chatter about what their journey would bring. Kevin had brought his hands to his face and continued to lay sprawled on his back. After he had calmed down, he opted to look around. Opening his eyes, he was met with Ruby who was sitting at the base of the stone, next to him.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the man. Looking him in the face, movement in his eyes caught her attention. She silently and with unchanging features watched as the pupils of his eyes grew from vertically thin to round and small. After they returned to human shape, Ruby stood up and smiled down on the man who was staring at her with a wide grin.

"See something, you like, Ruby?" He laughed.

Slowly, she stepped towards him and leaned down to his ear. She breathed warm air onto his skin while her hand trailed up the opposite side of his neck, gently, seductively. It came to rest at the base of his hairline where she gripped his skin roughly, pulling him closer. She licked her lips audibly before speaking. "I have you caught, pretty boy. I don't know what you are or who you are but I do know that you are not fooling me. I saw what you did... how you changed... I'll be watching you." She let a low growl before pushing the man's head down and releasing him.

When Kevin looked up again, he could find no sign that Ruby had even been there. He could see Regina and Emma chatting close by but they were not paying attention to him. The boys also seemed to be chattering on to each other lost in their own world. He looked around once more before shakily getting to his feet.

"Whoa, hey, easy. Are you okay, you should stay down." Emma started, pulling herself from the queen to aid the man who swayed slightly as he stood.

"I'm fine, thank you. Where is Ruby?" He asked while looking everywhere but at the blonde. He was visibly nervous.

"She uh... well, I'm not really sure where she went." Emma watched the sweat bead on the man's face. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes, yes. I need to speak with Ruby." He panted, trying to step past the blonde.

Behind her, his path was blocked by the queen. He looked down into her eyes, pleading for an answer. Before he could get words out, Regina cleared her throat and threw a thumb over her shoulder. "She took herself for a walk."

**Shoot me a comment, the reviews keep me going! Thanks for reading! -DR**


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